The Sword of the East
by TrueLegacy
Summary: She is the assassin of Byzantine, with one goal to kill Arthur and his knights. Yet the meeting of the knights brings together old friends and forces the assassin to make the ultimate choice.
1. Britannia

_Synopsis: She is the assassin of Byzantine, with one goal.. to kill Arthur and his knights. For the single purpose of making Rome collapse so Byzantine can flourish. Yet the meeting of the knights brings together old friends and forces the assassin to make the ultimate choice. _

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Chapter 1 – Britannia

The ship had been rocking in the waves for nearly three weeks. She was used to the rocking of the waves but the destination this time was somewhere that she had never been before. Britannia came out of the mists like a dream land. The mists had only settled on the ship in the past few hours but it seemed as if the Captain was a competent enough seaman to be able to navigate through the mists. The white cliffs were gleaming as they pulled into port at Portsmouth. The docks were fairly empty but that was the way she liked it, less people to notice her.

They hadn't put the anchor down before the second mate walked up to her. He was a stout man, with a belly that rolled just as much as the waves beneath them. His face was hidden beneath a thick red beard and moustache. Yet the top of head had no hair at all. "Captain told me to come an' collect the fees ya discussed at port." She threw him a small purse with the proper amount of coins; she had counted them out prior to them even seeing land. "That's not enough," he angrily said as he dropped the coins in his hand.

She turned to face him but kept her hood over her head, wanting to keep her face as hidden as possible. "It's the amount that your Captain and I discussed before we left port in Messina."

"I think you're trying to rip us off! We bring you to England and you don't pay us!" The second mate began to shout at her. His hand moved towards the sword at his side. The sword looked just like him, short and stout.

"You don't want to do this," she said to him as she put her hand on the hilt of her sword. He just nodded his head and charged at her. Like a snake she had pulled her sword from her sheath and allowed the force of his charge to land him on the deck of ship. He turned over from his stomach to his back and looked her in the eyes.

"Who are you?" He asked as fear began to cloud in his eyes. This was what always happened when men saw her, especially from his view. They were preparing themselves to die; they knew she was going to kill them.

"Sybilla of Constantinople," she said with a glint in her eyes, knowing full well that her reputation was known throughout the Roman and Byzantine Empire.

"You're the one they call the Sword of the East, the assassin." He said astonished that they were still alive.

"Assassin is such a nasty word," Sybilla said as she sheathed her sword allowing the man to live. He stood up but never took his eyes off of her. "Now isn't that the proper amount I owe you?"

"Yes my lady, of course it is." He said as he ran off into the hull of the ship, with the coins trying to keep up.

"Men," Sybilla muttered under her breath, as she felt the anchor hit the floor of the channel.

She waited until the rest of the crew had disembarked before she made her way off the ship. Sybilla carried with her one single bag with a few extra weapons and some extra clothes in it. Before she had gotten off the ship she found the crew's log and ripped out the page that listed her as a voyager. There would be no evidence that she had ever been on this ship. Her patron had told her to destroy all the evidence and she would, it was common practice.

Walking off the ship into the darkened town of Portsmouth she kept herself in the shadows, as she had done her entire life. Sybilla knew no other life than that of a Byzantine assassin. She was sold as a slave when she was ten and had never questioned what she was doing. This was the only life she knew, and she couldn't complain. It paid well, and she had gotten to see the world, something she had promised herself she would.

The town was dark and the only places open were the taverns. She made sure her hood was still covering her face she walked into the first tavern she saw. It wasn't as busy as she was expecting it be which suited her just fine. Making her way toward the innkeeper behind the bar, he seemed pleasant enough.

"I need a horse, with fast legs preferably," she said to the innkeeper. He nodded his head then looked over to see a group of Roman Centurions sit down in the corner. "Do they give you problems?"

"Let's just say they're certainly not my favourite people in Britannia," He said. The few Centurions had begun shouting for someone to bring them some ale. The innkeeper asked to excuse himself has he took a pitcher of wine to their table.

"Stupid Romans," Sybilla said under her breath, but apparently not quiet enough.

"Something you'd like to share?" A voice said from behind her. She slowly turned with her hand on a dagger beneath her sleeve of her shirt. Sybilla found herself looking at someone who was not much older than her; he had a black beard with curl black hair to match and two broad swords hung on his back.

"Not with you," She said smiling as she turned back to the innkeeper who had returned.

The innkeeper slid another mug of ale towards the man that was standing awkwardly close to Sybilla, "here ya go Lancelot."

"Lancelot?!" Sybilla said louder than she had hoped.

"You know me?" He asked surprised.

"Don't look too shocked, you're known of here. I heard some older women talking about Lancelot earlier today in the market. You're one of the great knights of Arthur," Sybilla lied.

"My reputation precedes me, I had no idea everyone liked me so much." He said with a jokingly smug attitude.

"I didn't say they liked you, I merely told you that they said your name. Or perhaps your one of those glory seekers, who only likes what he does for the reputation it gives him," he smiled has he took a large gulp of ale. Looking around Sybilla could not see anymore Sarmatians in the bar; perhaps this mission would be easier than she had anticipated. "Are you here alone? Or did one other of the great Sarmatian knights come with you?" Listening to herself speak, Sybilla smiled. Her ability to be a cold assassin one minute then flirtatious girl the next minute was truly a talent she hadn't realized she possessed. She had only come upon it in the past few years with the different tasks she was given.

"My friend is here as well. He's out checking the horses for the night," Lancelot said in his boyish charm. "We have different rooms for the night though."

"You're quite forward, assuming that something will happen." Sybilla grinned as her eyes caught someone else walking into the tavern.

"I'm only here one night," He said as he took another drink a smile crossing his face as he brought the mug to face.

"Then let's have some fun," Sybilla coyly said. Not wanting the other knight to see her face, which the hood was no longer covering. Sybilla grabbed Lancelot's arm and led him towards the stairs, but something held him back as they reached the first step.

"Lance, we have to go. Message from Arthur," said the voice from behind the two of them. Shockingly Sybilla could swear that she knew that voice, the quiet, smooth deep voice. A voice she had put out of her mind the day he was taken away, a voice that she was certain she would never hear again. Too scared and shocked to turn around she kept her face looking forward until she could hear the footsteps back away.

"I'm afraid we can't have a little fun tonight," Lancelot said as she turned around to face him. He pulled her close, "I've been told that we need to get back to the Wall."

"Pity," Sybilla said as she took a step backwards, of which Lancelot countered and took another step closer. Sybilla's right hand slid down to her hip where a small dagger was waiting to be used while Lancelot pulled her close again.

"I'm at the wall if you'd like to come by for a little fun," he said as he lips got closer to hers.

"Enticing, but I'll have to pass. I'm leaving tomorrow."

"Damn, I would have liked to give you a nice parting gift, a little something to remember England with." Her hand was now clenching the hilt, but something wasn't letting her draw the dagger. The fool had put his hand on top of hers above her cloak.

"Lancelot!" came a shout from the stables. He quickly put his lips to Sybilla's then ran out the door.

Furious, Sybilla went up the flight of stairs and watched the two men ride away from Portsmouth. Livid, Sybilla threw the table in the hallway against the wall. "I was this close!" She shouted in the hallway.

"Lady?" The innkeeper asked as he walked up the stairs to see what was going on. "Your horse is ready." Sybilla could only nod for fear that she would not be able to contain her anger at herself. "Don't get too upset about Lancelot, he's quite the ladies man whenever he arrives. Quite the heartbreaker if you ask me." Sybilla couldn't help but chuckle, _stupid old men_, she thought to herself.

Regaining her voice and composure, "horse is downstairs?"

The innkeeper nodded, "Yea, it's the third stall on the right."

"Thank you," Sybilla said as she handed him a few coins for the horse and for the broken table. She made her way downstairs to the stables, jumped on the large jet black horse and made her way towards the wall, following the tracks the two knights had laid out before her. In her mind she was still thinking about that mysterious voice. Could it really be who she thought it was?

* * *

A few leagues away the two knights rode into the dark night. Their horses were cantering next to each other as the open farmland of southern England was laid out before them.

"We couldn't have stayed for just a little while longer?" Lancelot childishly asked as they rode through the plains. "I was pretty close to sealing the deal."

"You're just angry that Vanora chose Bors over you, now all you want to do is bed any girl you can get," the second knight said with a smile on his face.

"Tristan, what's the problem with that? I may die tomorrow might as well have enjoyed the night before," Lancelot said as the wind began to pick up.

"Tell me at least you knew her name?" Tristan asked. His question was followed by a period of silence from Lancelot. "Are you serious? You didn't even bother to get her name?!"

Shaking his head Lancelot tried to defend himself, "I was getting to that point when you so rudely interrupted us. But all I can say is that this woman had the greenest eyes you could ever lose yourself in, skin like a Roman but a bit darker. Tristan, she was easily one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen." Tristan just stayed silent, lost in his own thoughts. "I doubt anyone has seen someone as beautiful as her. Tristan?" Lancelot knew Tristan and knew that there were times that silence was the best course of action with him. He was not the most talkative knight.

"I knew someone like that," he finally said after a long period of silence.

"Really, where?" Lancelot said. It was not very often that Tristan would speak let alone about the life the led before they had reached Britannia. Even when everyone else was sharing stories of home, Tristan usually sat in the corner of the tavern keeping to himself, lost in his own mind.

"Back home, I guess you could say that we were childhood sweethearts. Her eyes were greener than any pasture you could look at, and her lips were a red as the tomatoes that her father would grow in the garden." His voice was lost in his memory; it was side of Tristan that the knights rarely saw. For some reason Lancelot considered it a real treat to be able to hear about Tristan's past.

"We only have five more years here Tristan, you can go back to your girl," Lancelot said trying to cheer him up. "I have no one to go back to, not even sure I could find my way home if it came to that."

"I'm sure she's married at this point, no reason for her to wait for me," Tristan said as he shook himself from him dream-ish state. He urged his large grey stallion forward picking up the pace. "Come one, the messenger said that Arthur wanted us back as quickly as possible. We should pick up the pace."

* * *

Arthur sat at the round table, it was quiet now. He had told the others to enjoy their night while they waited for Lancelot and Tristan to arrive with the correspondence from Rome along with the supplied they needed. Yet there was a certain letter that he could not get out of his mind. Pelagius, he lifelong friend had written him nearly a month ago.

_Arthur – beware! Your position in Britannia is on shaky ground. The lands we call the East are growing more powerful and there is nothing that Alexios won't do in order to gain the whole of the Roman Empire. Emperor Cassius here believes that Rome is invincible; do not make the same mistake. Watch your back, watch your knights. Those men are the only ones you should trust. – Pelagius _

He didn't know what to do, there were not many Romans at the wall that he did trust. Yet there were the Roman envoys that commonly came, and while Arthur always kept an eye open for trouble when they arrived he usually trusted them and the news they brought with them. Arthur at this point could only believe what Pelagius told him about Rome and their political problems. The Commander of the Sarmatian Knights rarely got news from the Emperor but when he did he obeyed without question, should he also believe any new he receives from the Pope? Arthur had no father in which to base his leadership on but he had hoped for years that he has been making the right choices, yet in times like this he wondered what his father would do.

Re-reading the letter from Pelagius he now hoped that Lancelot and Tristan were bringing back news with them. Hopefully another letter from Pelagius that could tell him what this new Eastern Emperor would do, perhaps he would send legions to Britannia. Arthur thought of his men, they had started out fifteen years ago as just children. There was not one of them that was older than fifteen and none that were younger than eight. He had men that were close on both of those ages. He had been only eleven when he was put into training with the rest of the boys, these men who had become his brothers. Starting out with nearly thirty men after these past ten years of fighting he was down to only eight. Was this a reflection on his poor leadership? He hoped not, considering he was reputed to be the man that had never lost a battle. And in truth he had no, nor had he ever run from a fight. But Arthur also prided himself on knowing which fights he could and could not win, at times he had no problem recruiting the Centurions that worked the wall with his knights. He had a feeling that if this Eastern Emperor, the man called Alexios, was going to send legions to Britannia the only choice Arthur would have to win would be to recruit the majority of the Centurions on the island. He was hoping that it would not come to that.

So be it, there was nothing that Arthur could do now. Lancelot and Tristan were due back within the next day or so. Arthur's messenger had reported them on the western road making good time. "How are ya there?" Bedwyr asked as he walked into the hall. He carried with him two mugs of mead. Next to Lancelot Bedwyr was his closest friend, the three of them had been forced to go on a mission with the Romans when they had just started out in Britannia. The three of them nearly died on the journey, but together they had found their way back to the wall, only to find themselves inseparable. "Vanora's famous mead," Bedwyr said as he took his seat next to Arthur. Arthur took a long drink from the mug, the spicy ale soothing his throat and stomach. "Still pouring over that letter?" Arthur nodded; he had almost forgotten that he had shown the letter to Bedwyr and Lancelot. He knew he should have showed it to all the men but he had partly felt that he was merely being too suspicious, that he should have faith in Rome to inform him if there were any problems. But he knew that by sending Lancelot to meet the Roman ship in Portsmouth he really felt this was a bigger problem.

"Something's not adding up Bedwyr," Arthur said as he passed the note to Bedwyr, who had read probably as many times as Arthur had.

"Arthur, you need to rest on it. This letter says nothing about what this Alexios man might actually do. All it says is that Rome is trying to believe that peace will reign when in fact it probably won't."

"Alexios could be sending a legion here right now as we speak and you want me to do nothing?" Arthur said, beginning to get a bit angry. He would only allow Bedwyr and Lancelot to see him become angry over something that in all honestly may be very miniscule.

"Yea, and could not too. Alexios in all honestly is probably sending no legion here. Why would he focus on Britannia when he has Rome a thousand miles closer? If he is a good Emperor he would understand that if Rome falls the legions here will have no allegiance and they will eventually make their way back to the Empire and Alexios will deal with them there."

"I need to calm down about this, don't I?" Arthur said as he stood up and walked toward the large fireplace.

"You get yourself so worked up over stupid Rome," Bedwyr said as he joined his friend near the fire. It was nearly November and the weather had already started to turn for the worse, the snows were already seen further north and weather at the wall was becoming bitter. "Let the Romans worry about Rome, we need to worry about only the wall. Don't even worry about the south, the Romans have that taken care of. If a legion was trying to get into Britannia the Romans down there would stop them or at least send word."

"What if there isn't a legion? What if there are only a few?" Arthur said trying to formulate something in his mind, but the thoughts would not come together they were interrupted by Bors throwing himself in through the large oak doors. "Bors, what's going on?"

"Vanora! She's had number seven!" He said with a smile on his face. Arthur smiled, and congratulated Bors as they made their way out to the tavern to celebrate. Bedwyr not wanting to leave the note from Pelagius on the table put it in his shirt. As he walked over to the tavern he looked up on the ridge that laid to the south of the wall. He saw a single rider on the ridge, when he closed his eyes and looked back only a second later the figure was gone. He shook his head, it was nearly midnight and the guards would have been alerted if Lancelot and Tristan were back. It must have just been illusion, he shrugged it off and joined Arthur, Bors and the rest of the knights and citizens of the wall in celebrating the birth of another child to Bors and Vanora.


	2. Brisowald Fort

_Thanks so much for the few reviews I already have!! They definatly help me keep writing!! Please keep sending them!! I hope you enjoy!_

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Chapter 2 – Brisowald Fort

The wall could be an imposing place, if one had never see n it before. Nearly 80 Roman miles long, white washed stone stood on the horizon. At nearly every mile a large fort stood to hold a garrison of only about thirty men, but after every five miles an even grander Milecastle stood that housed almost a hundred. This was the fort that Arthur and the knights lived and fought out of, Brisowald Fort, closer on the western coast of Britannia.

Tristan and Lancelot galloped over the hills that made the land perfect for a wall such as Hadrian's. His wall followed the natural shifting land heights making it seem even taller in some places. They saw Brisowald Fort and the town that surrounded it. It was quickly approaching afternoon by the time they had reached the wall, almost three days after having been at Portsmouth. They entered the town and reached the main Roman garrison, guiding the horses to the centre parade ground.

The main people of the town were mostly Britons, after nearly two hundred years Roman blood had mixed with the British blood. Many considered themselves Britons while there were others that still considered themselves Romans. Yet the majority of the Centurions that patrolled the wall with Arthur and his knights considered themselves Roman in many ways and still looked down to those that were considered Britons. The Sarmatians and the Romans were on very unstable ground when it came to relations. They obeyed Arthur in every command but if one of the Knights asked something of them, a fight was usually close behind.

Cantering into the main parade ground, Arthur and Bedwyr came walking through the doors from the Hall of the Round Table. Arthur's face was care-worn, seeing his face Lancelot could only hope that there was some letter from Pelagius to second the letter he had sent a month ago. It bothered Lancelot to see Arthur so distressed. Jols came from the stables and led the horses into the barn.

"Give them a good rub down," Tristan said as Jols led Lancelot's large black horse and Tristan's grey stallion towards the barn. Jols nodded and detached the saddle bags that held the provisions and correspondences that Arthur was so keen on having. Tossing one bag to Lancelot and the other to Tristan the horses were taken away.

"I'm glad to see you two made it back safely," Arthur said as a genuine smiled passed over his face. He was always glad that his knights made it back to the wall without issues. These men were his only family and he cherished them as such.

"Well we almost didn't," Lancelot said, "I found a gorgeous woman in Portsmouth. I wouldn't be surprised if I had spent the night and had a baby on the way already! If that had been the case, then I suspect that I would have to stay in Portsmouth." They all chuckled at Lancelot's antics. He was good at lightening a mood and his womanizing ways were something everyone knew and was able to laugh at.

"Then let us be glad Tristan was able to tear you away at the right time, before we lost you forever to a barmaid," Bedwyr said as they walked into the hall.

Tristan was surprised to see the hall empty; he had assumed the other knights would have been around waiting for them to return. "Where is everyone?"

"I let them have the day to themselves. Vanora just gave birth to number Seven so Bors is busy with the other six children, so I thought everyone else could have a day to relax. I sent a group of Centurions to the other Fort to check in, they should be back before nightfall, if there are any problems." Arthur said, many of the Centurions whispered that Arthur was too kind to his men, that no rightful Roman Commander would allow his men time off like this. Yet for the Sarmatians they respected Arthur for allowing them to be human, and knowing that they can not fight everyday.

Arthur saw Tristan's eyes wondering around and knew they must have not slept in order to reach the Wall from Portsmouth in only three days. "Tristan, why don't you and Lancelot go get some rest. Come down for dinner but have the rest of the day to yourself," he said walking towards his scout. Putting his hand on Tristan's shoulder, Arthur continued. "You have done well my friend, thank you for the haste you have shown in delivering these correspondences to me."

"You know I would do anything you ask Arthur, but tell me. Why was it so important that we rush back to the Wall to give these to you? What has made you so weary?" Tristan asked, searching Arthur's eyes for an answer.

"I'm not sure Tristan, but I will tell you all when I figure out what is going on. Trust me," Arthur told him. Tristan nodded his head and left the hall for his room.

Walking past the stables to check on his stallion, he was happy to see a young stable boy cleaning the horse. The horse's ears were pricked up and he nickered a bit as he saw Tristan enter the barn. Tristan walked over to the horse and watched for a moment as the boy continued to wash him.

"You have a great horse here, Sir Tristan," the boy said. He could only have been ten or eleven years old, with golden hair the shined when the sun hit it.

"Thank you, and thank you for doing such a good job washing him off. He ran a long time over the past few days and deserves a good treat for it," Tristan said as he rubbed his horse behind his ears, the horse nickered again in happiness.

"He'll get an extra scoop of oats tonight then, is that good?" The boy asked as he dropped the rag in the water again.

"That'll be perfect," Tristan agreed as he turned to go. As he began to walk out a horse caught his eye, a horse he had never seen in the stable before. "Whose horse is this?" He asked the boy.

"I don't know some traveller. He came in only a few minutes after you and Sir Lancelot. Gave us a few gold pieces and said that he would be back later," the boy said truthfully.

"Did the traveller give you a name?" Tristan asked growing suspicious, he had felt they were being followed back to the wall, but couldn't be certain. It wasn't too uncommon for people to travel to the Wall from other parts of the country but this had been different. He had felt that this person following them wasn't good news for the Knights. The feelings he usually got at the pit of his stomach were gnawing on something.

"No, no name at all," the boy answered has he finished up washing the horse. "But he did pay with funny looking gold." The boy threw the rag in the bucket and walked over the small chest they used for boarders at the barn. "See?" The boy handed Tristan a beautifully inscribed gold coin. Much more intricate than the coins from Rome and inscribed on the coin was the face of not Emperor Cassius but of someone else. Being from the Black Sea area Tristan knew the elegance that eastern coins held, this was an eastern coin of that he had no doubt. "Is there something wrong?" The boy asked getting a little worried.

"No, I don't think so. Just keep this close; I may want Arthur to see it." The boy nodded and put the coin back in the box and locked it. Tristan left the barn and headed to his chamber, he anticipated a good nap before dinner.

* * *

Sybilla had followed the knights from Portsmouth to the Wall, they had been easy to follow considering they did nothing to hide their tracks and neither did they use hidden roads. They took very main roads from the south to the north; they really were in a hurry to get back to the Wall. Sybilla had been taught the protocol for these knights, using main roads was something they rarely did unless the occasion called for haste. They had slowed down for the night and she had travelled ahead of the knights, hoping to reach the Wall before them. She had reached the Wall at nearly midnight and knowing that it would be far too suspicious if she were to arrive at the wall at that time of the night, she found a good place in the forest to camp for the night. The next morning she had risen and found herself watching the two knights crest the hill.

Watching Lancelot and the other knight at the ridge gave her a gut a twist. There was something about the second knight, a familiarity that she could not place. Wait that wasn't entirely true, Sybilla could place it alright. She knew the man that she thought it was, she could see every feature of his face, the way his hair landed on his face, the way his hands held his bow, but she was certain that this man was dead. After ten years away for the Romans he must be dead. Watching those two just made her wonder, this knight rode a horse the same way he had taught Sybilla to, was this just a coincidence or had fate finally begun to intervene in the life of the assassin?

"Stop it!" Sybilla yelled at herself, she cleaned up her campsite making sure there was no evidence of her stay and mounted the large black horse. "Just get this task finished with and return to Constantinople, then life like this will be done. You can get on with your life and forget that you ever did these deeds, cleanse your sins, just like the Bishop told you." Sybilla said to herself as her horse reached the road that led into Brisowald Fort.

She entered by the South Gate that was busy with people and their goods. The marketplace seemed to be thriving, with fruits, vegetables and every other commodity that was found in Britannia was being sold at the market. It reminded Sybilla of the markets in Constantinople, yet they lacked the sweet scent that filled the streets in the East. The spices that came from the Far East were like beautiful lavender and sage, Sybilla missed those scents. Brining herself back into reality she could see the way the knights had gone and found the stables of the Fort. She kept her hood up and was able to deepen her voice for the young stable boy. Handing him a few gold coins she made her way back into the Fort.

She could see the back of Lancelot's head as he spoke to the man she assumed was Arthur and some other knight, along with the mysterious knight. Quickly wondering if she should try to fire an arrow here in the open she quickly decided against it. Knowing if she did it here in the open then she would surly get caught and the whole idea was not to get caught. Turning away quickly, Sybilla began to walk around the Fort. The first thing she needed to do was look at all the different escape routes that the building could provide. She walked around from the parade ground where Arthur had been with the knights and made her way over to the tavern. It wasn't very busy, especially since it was only mid afternoon but Sybilla looked around and felt that this could be a good place.

_I could easily hide in the shadows and follow Arthur when he comes for drink. Lure him into the shadows and easily slit his throat. The other knights would come to see what had happened and then I could start fighting with the Romans. Have the Romans and Sarmatians fighting each other. And in the ensuing battle I simply ride away, have the horse waiting outside. Then again I would have to wait to make sure all the Sarmatians are dead. It wouldn't surprise me if they were more powerful than the Centurions_. Sybilla thought to herself. This plan could work but she needed to see if that was the only option she had. Another part of her wondered if she should try and take them out one by one. Like she had almost tried with Lancelot she could try and get each one alone and then kill him. _No, that would take too long. The boat to take me back will be arriving at the end of the week._ She dismissed that idea as she walked along the main Roman fort that she knew housed the chambers of Arthur and the knights.

Walking past a courtyard where many of the maids were washing linens gave Sybilla another idea. She could kill each man one by one, but simply do it all in one night. All she needed to do was dress up like a maid and she could have instant access into the Garrison Keep. Watching the maids she began to formulate her plan, and realizing that this was the best idea she had she needed to go buy some clothing.

Sybilla was happy the plan had come to her so quickly; she didn't like to take a long time in order to get tasks like this done. The best way to kill so many was to do is quickly and then get out of the place. The longer she lingered somewhere the more dangerous it got with people investigating the crime. If everything went to plan then she could be out of Brisowald Fort when the sun rose. She smiled at this thought, as she paid a merchant for a very plain dress. She put the dress over her leggings and jerkin and took off her cloak. She felt strange not having the hood covering her head, she was always one to keep her head covered in a strange place. She returned to the stable to put her cloak with the horse.

"Can you please put this with the large black horse?" Sybilla asked the boy as he cautiously walked over to her. "What's wrong?"

"You're not the man that road the horse in here are you?" He asked, taking the cloak from her but maintaining his distance.

Sybilla laughed, "oh no, I could never ride a horse! He's over at the tavern and was getting warm and asked I would put it with his horse. He didn't want to forget it whenever he left."

The boy quickly lost his air of caution and relaxed his shoulders a bit, and nodded his head. "Do you know if he's paying at the tavern with his funny looking coins?"

"Funny looking coins? What do you mean?" Sybilla asked becoming cautious herself.

"Yea, they look different than the ones the Roman use, I just wanted to make sure they were good coins, I don't want my master getting mad at me for taking fake money."

"I'm not sure what he's paying with but he's been using them for a while now, so I'm sure they're good coins," Sybilla said wondering if she should have exchanged her money while she was in Messina. Thinking quickly she asked the boy to see the coins, she convinced him that she was good at spotting fake money. He took her over to the box of coins and showed them to her, and with the change she had been given while buying the clothes she quickly swapped her eastern coins with the regular roman coins they were used to seeing. The boy hadn't noticed since another patron had walked into the barn.

She walked up to the boy and whispered that they were real and made her way outside. She walked outside just in time to see the knights making their way into the Hall. Sybilla looked to the sky and was able to see that it was nearly six in the evening; the knights must be meeting for their meal. This would be a perfect time to go searching the Garrison Keep to see where the chambers of the knights were, she just needed to get into the keep without anyone seeing her or questioning her.

She found a back door to the kitchens of the Garrison Keep where there were many women all trying to prepare the food for the dinner that was occurring in the hall just through the main doors ahead of Sybilla. She held a basket of grain that she had found outside and placed it near the large oven that one of the maids was tending to; no one said a word to her as she found a set of stairs leading up and away from the kitchen.

Remaining inconspicuous Sybilla walked up the stairs and found herself in a long hallway, there were a few doors to her right with more on her left. She began walking to the left when she heard the voices of the Knights coming from the right. She turned around and quickly found where the voices were coming from, one of the doors led to a small balcony that overlooked the hall. Most likely used when high ranking Romans came and wanted to observe the Knights. Sybilla, curious as to what they spoke about, silently opened the door and staying the shadows listened to the knights, although she only pick out Arthur's face and Lancelot's, many of the other's she didn't recognize or had their backs to her.

"—there's something bothering you Arthur and we're tired of not knowing what it is, you call us your brothers and yet you keep us in the dark." One of the voices said, she couldn't recognize it. After one of the knights bringing this issue up a few of the other rallied behind him.

"Knights," Arthur began, "I know that I haven't been telling you what is going on and I apologize for that, but I needed to get more information until I brought it to your attention." The Knights sat there in silence waiting for Arthur to continue. "I have received word that the new Emperor of the East, Alexios is trying to secure his power within the lands around him. And with news that I received today," he said looking to Tristan and Lancelot, "I found that it is fairly possible Alexios has hired an assassin to kill someone within the government. Who this person is, we don't know and who they are planning on assassinating is still unknown. Pelagius thinks it's someone within Rome, but he did tell us to be very aware. He also said 'beware the Sword of the East.'"

At the mention of this name, one of the serving girls nearly hit the floor. Gawain caught her before she fell but all the colour from her face was gone. "What is it Trisia?" Gawain asked still holding her upright.

"I have heard of this Sword of the East, he's an assassin; the best one in the world!" She said fear gripping every word she spoke.

"Where did you hear this from?" Arthur asked as Gawain let her sit down at the table. She was slowly regaining the colour in her face.

"There were men speaking out him today at the tavern, they said that his man had been seen in Rome just a little over a month ago. He killed a Senator, _in broad daylight_! Just one arrow and he was dead, no one ever saw it happen. Oh, Arthur, if he is told to kill someone then they are surely already dead!" The girl was petrified.

"Trisia, it will be fine. We'll put extra patrols out tonight and the gate will be closed until morning. Nothing will happen, I promise you that." Arthur said as he gestured for Gawain to take the girl back home.

As the girl and Gawain left the other knights looked to Arthur, "We need to keep an extra eye out, I don't think this Sword of the East is in Britannia but just to make sure keep an extra patrol at the docks, I don't want anyone getting near this Fort if they are from Rome or the East."

The rest of what was said that evening did not matter to Sybilla, they knew she was coming. In fact they knew about her, thankfully most of the information that had on her was vague. But they were tightening security she needed to be extra careful tonight. She slid deeper in the darkness of the room still trying to decide what to do. She needed to have quick getaway and if Arthur was closing the gates it would be hard for her to get out. Then she decided, she was going to steal something of Arthur's and give it to the guards at the gate. That way in the morning she would hand it to them saying that Arthur had asked her to do something. _Screw it_, she thought as she quickly left the balcony. She was going to find their chambers and think of how she would get into each on, leaving the fort would be a last minute plan. Even if the Centurions did catch her, she could overpower them easily.

Tristan sat quietly as he ate his meal. He was glad to be back at the Wall, this was his home. But there was something still nagging him and the thought that there was someone from the east that was going to kill someone and the fact that he had seen an eastern coin just today made him nervous. He would find the stable boy after dinner and show the coin to Arthur. Perhaps this Sword of the East was in Britannia, a thought which sent a shiver down Tristan's spine. He turned to the maid a moment later to allow her to refill his glass of wine when he noticed the door to the balcony being closed, or open. He watched a moment longer to see if there was anybody on the balcony or if the door way opened again. Seeing neither he returned to his dinner, but he still felt as if something was not right. Analyzing everything in his mind he was becoming determined, the Sword of the East was here!

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_Like I said I hope you all enjoyed it! Please review!!_


	3. Found Out

_A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews, I hope you enjoy this next chapter!! Please review, I love to hear what you think of it thus far! _

Chapter 3

Found Out

Dinner was finished a while later, in fact it was nearly midnight by the time it was finished but Tristan wasted no time in heading to the barn. He wanted to see the coins one more time and then he would tell Arthur what he found. At least this way if he had the coins he could show Arthur evidence, it wouldn't just be Tristan's conjecture. He walked to the stable and found the boy sitting near the entrance cleaning a saddle; he had it taken apart with the pieces of leather and brass piled next to his feet.

"Hello again, Sir Tristan," the boy said as he jumped up from the stool. Tristan nodded and looked from the boy to the large black horse he had eyed earlier. The horse had the bridle and saddle of any British man, the assassin must have purchased the horse when he had reached the shores of Britannia.

"May I please see those coins again? I want to show them to Arthur for a moment," Tristan said as he moved towards the lockbox on the far side of the barn. The boy was a bit suspicious but then thought better of it, after all Tristan was one of the knights; hence someone to be trusted, even if the boy was scared of him.

"Surely," the boy said as he opened the lockbox. "I talked to someone today and they said that the coins were real." He said rummaging through the box.

"You showed someone else these coins?" Tristan asked, trying to hold back his temper.

"Yea, one of the barmaids came in and said the man who had paid with these coins was using them over in the tavern and she said she could point out fake coins. I showed them to her and she said that I shouldn't be concerned and that they were real coins," the boy spoke as he continued to look through the lockbox. "Hmm, that's odd."

"What? What's going on?" Tristan questioned, he was slowly losing the short temper he had.

"Well I don't see the coins in here anymore. I guess my master must have come in and cleaned it out." The boy said as he still pushed coins aside.

"Does he normally do that?"

"Well no, but it's not completely uncommon I suppose," the boy said not concerned.

"Why did the barmaid come in here?" Tristan questioned, trying to take a different approach with the boy.

"She said the man wanted to put his cloak with his horse since he was getting warm, but he didn't want to lose it." The boy said pointing towards the horse's tack that was hanging next to the stall.

Tristan walked over to it quickly and held up the cloak, it was a little shorter than him, but he couldn't determine if the person was shorter than him or whether or not the cloak would have only come to the man's knees. He felt around for a pocket that most cloaks had and finally found it on the inside. There was a scrap of paper inside the cloak but he couldn't make out the writing. It was a language he didn't know but slightly resembled Latin, draping the cloak back on the saddle Tristan left the barn.

He searched the tavern for anyone that looked out of place before he made his way to Arthur. He saw Vanora sitting at a stool near the bar and he walked over to her. "Shouldn't you be home with the newborn?" Tristan said as he leaned against the bar looking to the patrons.

"Eh I needed a break from the new one," she said taking a sip of water from the mug. "What you doing out this late? It seems everyone else had put in for the night."

"Just looking for someone," Tristan said, "someone… out of place." He said as he continued to look around the tavern.

"Can't say that I have, just the usual old patrons that we see every night," Vanora said as she looked around the tavern along with Tristan.

"Thanks," Tristan said giving Vanora a peck on the cheek as friends do. "You should go home and get some sleep."

"You too," She said as she handed him an apple, the staple of Tristan's diet. If Tristan was inside the fort he could usually be found with an apple in hand. He couldn't remember how it got started but even as a child he could remember always eating the red fruit.

He walked back into the fort toward Arthur's room, but something didn't seem right. He walked into the hall and for some reason looked up to the balcony that just a few hours ago he would have sworn someone was standing in. Racing up the stairs he walked onto the balcony and looked over it quickly. Tristan looked around but seeing nothing out of the ordinary he made his way down the hall to Arthur's quarters. He could see the light coming from Arthur's room, but could see something else that sent a wicked shiver down his spine. Tristan was able to make out the shape of a figure in the hallway, a figure with a bow at the ready and an arrow ready to be loosed. Arthur had no idea.

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Sybilla had left the balcony and made her way through and around the fort. She kept a ready ear open for any of the knights returning from dinner, but they continued to dine for hours. That suited her just fine. It gave Sybilla the opportunity to find the ins and outs of the fort. She opened most doors and was able to find each of the knights' chambers. Arthur's of course was the largest and contained a bed chamber along with a study.

She was able to find the other knight's room with little problems. There weren't many residential rooms in the fort and the ones that were in use were obviously made to look like that. Finding the best way to get each man, was almost like a game to Sybilla. She had been doing this same job for years and it never seemed to bother her that she was taking a life. Usually the life needed to be taken for the safe protection of Byzantium and for her Arthur was no different. If her Emperor wanted control of Britannia then she would open the door for him to take it. As she searched each room she found out which floorboards were loose and which doors squeaked. She was just finishing this up when she heard the footsteps of the knights returning. She made sure her weapons were concealed under her dress and her other clothing and made her way outside.

She closed the door of one of the knight's room and found herself face to face with one of them. He was very young looking, with deep brown eyes and a young black beard that covered his face. He had a slightly smaller form than Lancelot, the only knight she had seen close like this. But he had a much younger looking face. Sybilla was even close to believing that he was younger than her, but not by much.

"Sorry there!" He said as he nearly bumped into her.

"Oh no, I'm sorry! I was just seeing if your room needed some cleaning," Sybilla said trying to come up with a quick but plausible story.

"Thank you, but isn't it a bit late for that?" He asked as he eyed her. She knew she was beautiful, men had told her before but no matter how many times people said that it still made her nervous when men stared at her. Sybilla would rather be invisible in her line of work.

"Well…I knew that you were all still at dinner and thought I could get a bit more work done tonight. But seeing that you're all back now I'll just return in the morning," Sybilla said as she turned to go.

"I haven't seen you here before, are you new?" the Knight said following her.

"I am, just started yesterday." Sybilla said as she continued in the opposite direction of where she wanted to go.

"I thought so, since I know most of the maids here. I'm Galahad," he said extending his arm to her. She shook his hand and gave him a large smile.

"It's nice to meet you Sir Galahad, I'm Eleanor," Sybilla said wondering where that name came from. "But it's getting late, so I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Right then, see you tomorrow," Galahad said as he turned around and returned to his room.

"Actually I'll see you in a few hours," Sybilla said to herself as she watched his shadow disappear behind his door.

She could vaguely hear a few other knights talking in the hallway, she was now sitting in one of the store closets in the hallway. And a few minutes later could hear their doors being closed for the night. Smiling, Sybilla slipped out of her drab dress and just wore her dark brown leggings, high brown boots and light maroon jerkin. She pulled her daggers from the pockets of the dress and put them in very specific places, one in each boot, one up her right sleeve and one on her back. Each of these places had been tried and tested. Her sword was long and curved, somehow it had not been seen under her dress, so she attached at her hip. Thankfully she had found this store room early and had already hidden her long bow and quiver in there. Putting the quiver over her back and the bow over her shoulder, she listened for another few minutes before she stepped out into the silent hallway.

The hallway was deathly silent, just the way Sybilla wanted it. She walked past a few of the rooms that she would be visiting later and she was happy to hear that they were silent as well. Tonight must be going her: the knights weren't going to bringing any company home with them. Sybilla really didn't like to kill those she wasn't paid for. She walked through the hall, calming her nerves down as she had to do each time she was on the job. Her hands always started shaking as she got towards her first mark. Clasping her hands and rubbing them together usually let her nerves calm down.

Nearing Arthur's room she paused, there was a shred of light entering the hallway. She paused for a moment to see if anyone was going to be walking out of the room or not, but she pleased not to see anyone nor hear any voices coming from the room. Arthur was going to make this easy on her. Since the door was ajar she wouldn't even have to go in the room to take him out. Lightly stepping closer she could see Arthur sitting at his desk looking through some papers, Sybilla smiled. Taking her bow from her shoulder and an arrow from the quiver, she strung the arrow.

Quietly she began to hum to herself, her final way of calming her jumping nerves. A song that was sung to her as a child,

_I am the one star that keeps burning so brightly,_

_It is the last light fade into the rising sun._

_I am with you, whenever you tell my story;_

_For I shall never die._

She strung the arrow and pulled it back slowly, silently humming to herself. Suddenly she felt a cool blade at her throat. Keeping her bow pointed into the room she quickly debated if she should loose the arrow, but something inside her told her not to.

"If you were thinking of letting that arrow loose, it should really be done outside," Tristan said as Sybilla stayed silent. The voice to Sybilla was shocking, she knew that voice but it couldn't be, no he was dead she was certain. Thinking as quick as she could, she shoved her shoulder into the blade that was at her throat and she put her head below the blade. Taking a step forward she instantly dropped her bow and the arrow and pulled out her long, curved sword. Without looking to the knight, she raised the sword and let it clash down up on his. Suddenly, the light from Arthur's room shined on both of them. For the first time in ten years they looked each other in the eyes.

Tristan didn't know what do; the woman standing in front of him was the one person he thought he would never see again. The woman with the eyes of the oceans of grass, lips like the apples from her father's orchard. The only thing he could say, "You're the Sword of the East?" Their swords still being held between them.

Sybilla glared at the knight, she didn't know what to say either. "You're alive?" The knight standing before her was someone she had taken for dead, ten years she had told herself he was dead, yet here he was standing before her. His thick black hair still layered the same way on his face as she remembered, with the tattoos under his eyes. Scared, shocked and only wanting to run away she dropped her sword. But, suddenly from behind Sybilla, two knights grabbed her arms and threw her to the floor. Tristan watched as Sybilla was thrown to the ground, her jet dark brown hair flew into her face as her cheek met the floorboards. Yet, her eyes still held the look of fear and shock as she was thrown to the ground. Arthur came out of his room with Excalibur in his hand. Gawain and Dagonet flipped Sybilla over, so she was now on her back glaring into the eyes of Arthur.

"Are you the one they call the Sword of the East?" He asked putting his sword to her throat.

"And if I am?" She asked staring into Arthur's eyes, her eyes were no longer scared but as if they knew what was coming.

"Take her into the hall," Arthur said as Dagonet grabbed her arms and led her down to the roundtable.

The knights congregated in the corner of the hall, with Sybilla sitting in one of the chairs, her hands tied behind her back. She had watched as they got all the knights together and they moved to the corner to speak. No doubt discussing her fate, Sybilla kicked herself. After nearly six years of doing the same job she had been caught only once and now her first time to Britannia she's caught before she even makes one kill, she was pathetic! She hadn't even planned on getting caught, that had never even been in her calculations. Sybilla never thought of the what-if's. Now here she was, sitting in the hall of the knights while they discussed if she should be allowed to live. Allowing the small dagger in her sleeve to fall to her hands she slowly began to cut through the ropes that bound her hands together.

The knights looked to each other, not sure what to do with the woman. For a few minutes, Tristan spoke of everything he had determined over the past few hours. He told the knights, of the feeling of being followed, seeing the Eastern coins in the barn and the fact that the coins were now gone had told him everything. He had known the assassin was in the fort. They were all pleased, especially Arthur that he had walked into the hallway at just the right moment. A few minutes later and Arthur would have been dead, and the assassin would have moved on to her next target or had already been halfway out of the fort.

"What should we do with her?" Bedwyr asked as each man looked to the woman who was sitting with blank stare on her face.

Lancelot just shook his head, "I can't believe it! She's the one that I saw in Portsmouth, I almost slept with her!"

"Had you taken her to bed, I doubt you would have woken in the morning," Galahad said smiling. Now was not the time for jokes and he knew it, but he also couldn't resist a moment to make fun of Lancelot.

"You think that's her goal?" Gawain asked. "Do you think she wants to kill all of us, or just Arthur?"

Arthur just shook his head, "It's useless to ask these questions to each other, we should ask her."

"We can't believe her," Bors said as he gave the woman a dirty look.

"I just say we slit her throat and be done with it," Galahad said as he laid his hand on his dagger.

"If you kill her then any information she might have will stay a secret," Tristan said quietly. He didn't want anyone killing her until he personally got some answers. He kept replaying her few words in his head. It had to be Sybilla, but how did she get to Constantinople, how did she become an assassin; she was a farmer's daughter. _She was just a child, _he told himself_, no that was nearly ten years ago, when we were both children, now she's a killer. _

"Tristan's right," Arthur said after a few moments of silence. "We need the information she has, and then we shall figure out what to do with her."

The knights all agreed to this and they all turned to the woman sitting in the chair. They spread out along the room, and Arthur pulled a chair in front of Sybilla's. She just smiled.

"What's your name?" Arthur asked. His voice was calm but harsh, his words piercing the silence of the room.

"The Sword of the East," Sybilla mockingly said. "Isn't that all you want to know? I'm an assassin." She said smiling.

"Who are you here to kill?" Arthur said.

"You're joking right?" Sybilla said, she wouldn't tell him anything, she was trained to keep her mouth shut.

"Why do you want me dead?" The knights took a step closer wanting to hear the reasons she would give, but the reason she did give shocked them all.

"It's not personal, it's just business. Whether you're dead or alive only means a sack of gold to me," Sybilla said as she was pulled from the chair by Bors.

He held to her his face and shouted, "You start telling us what the hell you're doing in Britain and maybe we'll let _you_ live!"

"And maybe when all this is finished I'll let you live," Sybilla said. Bors looked at her with confused eyes, but it all came clear when Sybilla threw the ropes on the floor. In an instant Sybilla had thrown a dagger at Arthur's chest but missed his heart on tearing the underarm of his shirt, but she also had taken the dagger from her back and now had it at the throat of Bors. "Now you're going to let me walk of this fort in one piece."

"The only way you're getting out of this fort is in a cart heading to the cemetery," Lancelot said stepping forward.

"As I said Sir Lancelot, it's only business, nothing personal." Sybilla was getting a little nervous, everything was happening so quickly, she wasn't entirely thinking of the consequences of her actions and didn't know how all of this was going to play out. And now there were seven angry knights all with their weapons out pointing at Sybilla and she one livid knight under her arm.

Arthur was a good commander, he could see the woman trying to decide what to do, and he decided it was time for a little humility. "You're out numbered and have no place to go. So I'll make a deal with you, you tell me everything you know and I will let you walk out of here in one piece. Or we take harder approaches."

"I have nothing to tell you, Sir Arthur."

"Pity," Arthur said as she saw him nod. That was the last thing she saw. Dagonet had come up behind her and knocked her unconscious with the hilt of his sword. She fell to the ground like a rag doll, and the last thing she heard was Arthur's voice, "Take her down to the celss. Perhaps that will loosen her lips."

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_Well?! I hope you liked!! Please Review!! They always help me write the next chapter!_


	4. Dark Conversations

_Thank you so much for your reviews and story adds, they make me write it a bit faster. I would like to apologize for the amount of time it took me to upload this but I was having problems with the converstion, I wanted to cover so much and make it as coherent as possible so I hope that its all right. As for a bit of housekeeping I did get a review about the fact that putting Sybilla in jail cell doesn't seem very Arthurian, please understand that I'm trying to create a very real Arthur, a very Roman Arthur and in all honesty Rome was an Empire built on laws. You'll see the type of 'cell' I've put Sybilla in and it really isn't a 'cell' persay. So hopefully this helps!!_Chapter 4

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Dark Conversation

The Knights weren't sure what they should do with the woman. A few of them were intent on the idea of throwing her over the Wall and allowing the Woads to finish the job. But Arthur was not a cruel man, he knew that justice would need to win out over all, the type of moral Roman law that most generals were given.

"You wan t to give her a trial?!" Bors angrily shouted in the hall. All the knights had collected around the hall to see what should be done after they had taken the woman to the jail.

"It's not a good idea," Galahad chimed in, "She tried to kill you, Arthur!"

"Even murderers deserve a fair trial," Arthur said evenly, trying to reason with the rest of the knights.

"She's not just a murderer," Gawain commented, "She's an assassin! Who knows how man men she's killed. And you want to allow her to simply go free?!"

"Now listen," Bedwyr's booming voice quieted any other discussion, "no one said she was going to go free. But without proof we can't condemn someone to death. It isn't ethical and we will not kneel to her level of torture and murder." Bedwyr was a very intelligent man and always mean what he said by choosing his words wisely.

"So we're offering her a trial?" Dagonet questioned, making sure they were all on the same page.

"Yes, but first we'll give her a chance to tell us what she knows. If she does that then maybe a trial won't be necessary," Arthur informed everyone.

They continued to discuss for a short while longer, but Tristan had stopped listening. He was focusing on Sybilla. He had told himself a thousand times to get her out o f his head, she was considered the beauty of his village when they were children and over the past ten years had had been certain that she would have married. But to Tristan's surprise she hadn't. No, instead she had become the most feared assassin in the Roman and Byzantine Empire. His heart ached for her; it was his life that was to be sacrificed for an Empire, not both of theirs. And worst of al they were both fighting for two different Empires, Empires that were rapidly becoming rivals.

As the meeting adjourned, Tristan stayed silent per usual and made his way to the cells. He made sure a few times that he wasn't being followed. When he was satisfied that he was alone, he walked to the door he knew Sybilla was behind. The key was on a hook nearly twenty feet away and there was no guard. Arthur didn't take many precautions since the hall was a maze and if she had escaped she would have run into nearly thirty guards before reaching the barracks where the knights were.

Unlocking the outer door, Tristan saw the second door, an inter linking steel jail cell door, but it didn't have the true feel of a jail cell. There was a large bed with large pillows, a barred window a few feet above her head that allowed her to see the inner courtyard and a deep since for her to remain clean. There was also a nice size hearth between the two doors to keep the room warm but it was also out of her reach. A few fur blankets had been put in the cell with her. And seeing Sybilla silhouetted against the light of the moon with a large fur blanket keeping her warm, put Tristan in a trance like state, admiring the luscious assassin.

Sybilla had woken up only a short time ago with a throbbing feeling in her neck and back of the head. At first she had thought it had all been a dream. And she was sad to think her seeing Tristan was all a dream, like many she had had over the past ten years. But happily she felt her throbbing head and realized it was all true, Tristan really was here and he really was alive. Too many years had she been kept awake with the thought that he was dead, lying in some ditch with no one to claim him. Yet after her elation, reality set in.

Sybilla had continued with a life after Tristan was taken away. A life that until a few hours ago she had wanted to get back to. Life could not have been as she wanted it to be, the life she had dreamed about when they were young. Tristan had his duty to Arthur and Sybilla had her duty. If it cost Sybilla her life then so be it. That was a vow she had taken, Tristan was the past, her future was still uncertain but Sybilla knew her duty and her loyalty was to Constantinople and Byzantium not to Tristan the Sarmatian Knight.

She had heard the door quietly open but kept her eyes straight ahead looking out to the full moon. Sybilla could feel his steel grey eyes looking her up and down, taking in every curve she knew she had. She was not a very self obsessed woman, but being old on more than one occasion that she was the most beautiful person someone had ever seen would certainly give any one a big ego, even someone as level headed as Sybilla. Most men she didn't mind if they looked, but with Tristan Sybilla could feel his eyes piercing her skill and for the first time in ten years she felt naked even though she was fully clothed.

"You're getting better at sneaking into rooms," Sybilla said needing to break the silence, but also needing to get Tristan's eyes off of her body.

Tristan quickly snapped out of his trance as he heard Sybilla's sweet voice echoed through the room. "I had a good teacher," his deep and stoic voice replied. To Sybilla it was as if an angel was speaking to her, an angel she had longed believed would be awaiting her in the heavens. She closed her eyes to merely take in the sound of his voice.

"If you walk a bit more on your heels then you will cut out the sound of the wood entirely," Sybilla said always trying to outsmart the ingenious Tristan. When it came to politics and arts Sybilla was the knowledgeable one, but when it came to anything about weaponry and fighting Tristan was an expert, he always had been.

"Perhaps I wanted you to hear me," he said in an effort to mix up her mind. It was a game he had been good at as a child, but Sybilla had out grown those childish mind games and had been taught how to professionally mess up someone's mind.

"You didn't come down here to speak about sneaking into chambers, we both know that. So why are you down here Tristan? Your sword brothers will be very disappointed in you if they find out you were down here speaking to the prisoner." Sybilla was never one to beat around the bush unless she was trying to wear someone down. Other than that she was always someone to get straight to the matter at hand.

"What are you doing here Sybilla?" By the tone in Tristan's voice, Sybilla could tell that he wasn't referring to the idea of her coming here to kill Arthur.

"No, you're wondering why I'm not back in that little village we used to call home." Tristan only slightly nodded. "Because Tristan there is no home; it was destroyed about the same time you were taken away."

Tristan was in shock and tried to search Sybilla's eyes to make sure she was telling the truth, but she would not allow their eyes to meet. To do that would weaken Sybilla, and when dealing with Tristan she needed to keep her emotions in check.

"Our families?" He asked quietly, not wanting to he hear the real answer.

"Dead. I don't know exactly what happened, but I know they were Romans and I was the only one left alive."

"How did you survive? They let you live?"

"It doesn't matter anymore," She said with a wave of her hand, dismissing the subject. "It was so long ago; let us speak of better things."

Tristan knew he would speak with Sybilla again, so although his heart was aching with the fact that his parents, grandparents and most likely little brother were dead he changed the topics. But he wasn't going to let Sybilla off that easily. "All right, speaking of better things… you're an assassin?" The disdain he said 'assassin' with made Sybilla's blood run cold.

"I am," She said proudly sitting up straighter than she had been. "I am the Sword of the East, the most feared assassin in the Roman and Byzantine Empire."

"It is said that you've killed men in every civilized country in the world," Tristan asked, disdain still dripping in his words.

"Save for Britannia," Sybilla said with a small smirk on her face.

"Of course, to gain your thirty pieces of silver you need to kill one of the noblest men in all of the Roman Empire."

"I have no idea who Arthur is, or what he has done for Britannia, whether it be good or bad. All I know is that I was charged to kill the leader of the Sarmatian knights, so that was my goal."

"So killing Arthur was your only goal, what was the point at Portsmouth with Lancelot?" Jealously was quickly floating to the top of Tristan's conversation. That was what Sybilla wanted to happen, she couldn't let anyone know the real reason that she was in Britannia. She was there not only to kill Arthur but to kill all the knights. Sybilla would have rather preferred Tristan believe she was truly attracted to Lancelot then know the real reason she had come to the island.

Sybilla only smiled her response, with made Tristan boil over with hatred. But he wasn't sure what he hated more, Sybilla for being attracted to Lancelot or for Lancelot almost taking Sybilla to bed. "You've got to be kidding me?!"

"You really think that after ten years of not knowing whether you were alive or not I wouldn't be with another man? I'm sure that in the ten years you've been here you've had your fair share of women friends." Her eyes finally met his in an effort to make her lie seem like fact. The truth was she had only chosen to be with one other man other than Tristan. Of course there had been men that she had been forced to bed in order to kill them, but there was only one other man that had stolen her heart the way that Tristan's had.

Yet for Tristan, he had been with a few women. The women of the wall were very eager to have a knight to bed, but for Tristan they had all been simply prizes to have. He always pictured himself one day with Sybilla in his arms, hold her close and whispering sweet words into her ears as she slept, but he was slowing beginning to believe that it was the last thing she wanted. They had parted as childhood sweethearts but they were meeting again as rivals, two people who had grown immeasurably far apart over ten years.

"They were never you Sybilla," Tristan commented quietly as if one of the women would hear him and scold him for it.

His words made Sybilla kick herself. She could see the pain in his eyes, the last thing she wanted to do was hurt Tristan but these mind games needed to be played. He couldn't know that she had come there to kill him or his brothers, if he found that out she was sure he would not hesitate to take her head or worse take that information to Arthur, where she would have a very slow and agonizing death in front of the whole fort. No, she couldn't let Tristan know even if she hurt him this way.

"I'm sorry Tristan, but too much has happened in ten years for our lives to have remained the same. You are knight for Arthur and I am the woman who was sent here to kill him."

"You are not an assassin Sybilla, I know you."

"No, Tristan. You used to know Sybilla, but now I as someone completely different. I am someone who kills other for sport, joy and money. And I'm sure that if we delved deep enough we would find out that you are not the same Tristan that left our small village ten years ago. I'm sure you've changed enough not to be recognized in some areas."

"Perhaps I have but last time I check I didn't travel seven-thousand miles to kill your leader," He said, the hatred still bubbling over in his voice.

"He's just a man to me Tristan!" He scoffed at her remark. She decided to take it a step further, "You go out in these forests here and you kill Woads. They are just men to you, but to someone else, to their family they are fathers, and sons, uncles and nephews. Yet to us they are just the enemy. You don't listen to the cries and wails from the clans when they are told their family has just been broken apart, and you don't have to. While they're burying their loved ones, you're cleaning their blood off of your sword. Now tell me how is that any different from what I'm doing? Other than for the first time you would be on the side of the cries and the wails?"

"I have been on that side Sybilla; I have watched my sword brothers' fall. I have watched as the Woad sliced off their heads and ran back to their clans with them. I have watched my brothers succumb to death and I will not allow it for any of my brothers that breathe to this day!"

"And what if someone tried to hurt one of your brothers?" Sybilla said trying to get a read on what Tristan might do if he found out the truth.

"I would kill them, no questions asked. They'd meet only the blade of my sword before they even came close to these men."

"Well I don't know how good you're doing because I came fairly close tonight in killing you're fearless leader," Sybilla said in a mocking tone.

"Nonetheless, you didn't succeed did you? No! I stopped you before you made the greatest mistake of your life!"

"And what mistake would that have been? Killing a Roman?! I don't see anything wrong with that!" Sybilla's anger was now getting the better of her and she wasn't thinking about what she was saying, she once again was ten years old having a heated argument with her best friend, Tristan.

"You think all Romans deserve to die?"

"Yes, every last one! They slaughtered our families in cold blood. We had done nothing wrong to the Romans, we had given them you and had given them young boys for hundreds of years yet they still come in and kill our entire village. Our parents killed in their own beds! You want to know the reason I escaped Tristan?! It's because I was out in the plains looking for you! I swore to myself that I was going to find the Roman legion that took you away and I was going to use every power I had in my soul to free you. And when I spent two days searching as far as I dare go, I came back to find the village destroyed. THAT is why all Romans should be killed. And if your fearless leader considers himself a Roman than he should die too!" Sybilla turned away from Tristan and stared out the window. She needed to breath and cleanse, she couldn't allow her emotions to get the better of her, she needed to stay calm.

But it was too late for Tristan, he was furious. He was furious at Sybilla for saying Arthur should die. She didn't know him and didn't seem like she wanted to get to know him. He was the best General that Rome would ever see. And it is not to say that Tristan was very pro-Roman, in fact he despised the Romans that lived at the wall but he needed to live with them in peace, after all he was considered a Roman soldier for the past ten years. But hearing about the deaths of his family by Roman made him even more furious, but hearing that Sybilla considered Arthur as bad as them that killed innocent women and children made him the most livid of all. Arthur was nothing like that, he couldn't hurt a child no matter what, and he had the utmost respect for women. No Arthur was not the same type of Roman that Sybilla knew, he was a good man and one he would gladly defend. Tristan just wasn't sure if he was prepared to defend his leader, his brother Arthur against the woman who still claimed his heart and soul. For that was the truth, Tristan had still given his heart and soul to Sybilla completely.

_I hope that you all enjoyed it and it was fairly coherent. Please review!! _

_PS: I apologize in advance if it takes me a bit to upload the next chapter, my summer doesn't really exist (ie: night class, work and an internship). But I will do my best in posting in a timely manner..until then let me know how you like it thus far!! _


	5. Consequential Reasoning

_Thank you all so much for the numerous reviews! They are very useful and help me write my next chapters quicker, so please keep them coming. _

_ENJOY!_

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Chapter 5

Consequential Reasoning

The Emperor's Palace in the city of Constantinople was one of the most beautiful structures that had have been built. The entire structure was built of sandstone, which gave off a soft glow, but to add to that an intricate mosaic covered every inch of the walls both inside and out. The floor was covered in tiles that were painted in vibrant colors with different designs that could make someone dizzy if they stared at the floor for too long. That was the same impression the Emperor Alexios wanted to give off.

He strode down the hallway with a determined stride. Michael Psellos was the General of the Eastern Armies. The general population considered him the Emperor's closest and most intelligent advisor. He had the ear of the Emperor and in this day and age it was a very important and influential place to have.

Psellos had joined the military under conscription that Alexios' father Manuel had created in the wake of some problems with the Romans. Alexios believed it was a good idea to continue it and in doing so he had created an army of nearly 30,000 strong. Next to Rome's 50,000 soldiers including Praetorians and Centurions the Byzantine's were a force to be reckoned with. Psellos had wanted to be a sailor, a trader anything that allowed him time on the water, but he had been assigned the infantry when he joined the army. Surprising though, he had found his niche. He was brilliant with a sword and given a bow on horseback, he was deadly.

Born in a small town south of Nicaea, his family had not been very prosperous. Many times in his life, he had gone to bed on an empty stomach allowing his younger siblings the tiny portions of food his family had been able to scrounge up. Joining the army had been the only opportunity Psellos would have to better himself; otherwise he would have lived the same life forever. His skills on the battlefield quickly allowed him to be promoted through the ranks and now he was a General at the young ago of thirty-one. He was a simple man of simple means. His home was a small mud building that was simply decorated, he wore the same uniform every day, and his heart had only ever belonged to one woman. It was about this woman he now saw the Emperor about.

Reaching the next to the last door on the right Psellos walked in without knocking. Alexios was sitting at a large table eating a small plate of fruit. The morning meal for Alexios was always the same, a small plate of the freshest fruits the servants could come by. Psellos was greeted immediately by one of the many servants that worked for Alexios and was asked if he would like some food, he thanked him but declined. Walking up to Alexios, Psellos gave a slight bow and took a seat to the Emperor's right.

"Any news from Britannia?" Alexios questioned as he read a few scrolls that had just earlier arrived. Alexios was not a very tall man but he exuded a sense of confidence that had come from years of being told he was appointed by God to be Emperor. There was no one above him save for the blessed savior and everyone below him was massively inferior. He was close to 200 pounds and couldn't have been taller than five-eight. He was young though, with a full head of brown hair and a long brown beard to match. He was dressed in traditional desert garb that allowed the fabric to breathe through the desert head.

"No, still no news. It's been nearly a month since she should have arrived, we should have news already," Psellos said, as he gazed at the scrolls on the large table. Michael was a very handsome man, with jet black hair and almost black eyes. His hair was cut near the ears and as with many military men of high standing had only a short beard. This suited him just fine, he was tall nearly six-two and was toned to a perfected weight. Many matchmakers of Constantinople had women lined up to marry him, but he would accept none but one. And she had not been heard from in nearly two months.

"What do you want to do?" Alexios asked as he pushed the last scroll aside and glared at his second in command.

"Send a messenger, find out where she is," Psellos said stoically. Alexios was aware of the relationship his General had with the assassin and he couldn't blame the man. Sybilla was the most beautiful woman Alexios had ever seen and if his own wife was not around Alexios was sure he would have already dominated her. Yet, Alexios took pride in knowing that Sybilla was his slave, she would be until she completed this mission. He knew Psellos wanted this mission over with, since after it was he would be free to marry the Assassin. The Emperor thought very highly of Psellos, especially that he was able to keep his emotions to himself.

"You think she is still in Britannia?" The Emperor said as he took a bite of the pomegranate.

"I would have to assume so. She would have sent word if she had left the island. And if she had left the island there would be nothing to stop her from coming back here to report in."

Alexios nodded in agreement. "Send your fastest messenger to the small island and report back with any information possible."

Standing up, Psellos was about to follow out the order when another thought came to his mind. "My Lord, I feel that I should accompany the messenger. If Sybilla has found herself in trouble, it might take someone of my standing to free her of any problems."

"You know what will happen to her if she is caught?" Psellos knew but wasn't exactly sure where Alexios was going wit this line of questioning.

"If she is captured by the Britons and Romans then she will surly be tortured and killed. She will be destroyed by those savages."

"If you bring her back here there will be no reprieve for her either. It was made clear to the assassin if she was caught then she would be killed. There can be no connection between her and us, for our own and our empire's preservation. Lucius would have my neck if he knew we sponsored the most feared assassin to kill his precious Artorious."

"What are you implying sir?" Psellos questioned with a concerned glare.

"If you bring her back here, I will have no choice but to have her killed. She will be made an example of. So, what I am telling you Michael is, if you go to Britannia and if she has been caught and captured by the Romans or the Britons then you might as well kill her on the spot. I will not allow her back into this Empire alive. Is this in anyway unclear?" Alexios said as he took another bite of the fruit.

Speechless, Psellos turned around and left the room. Michael knew that the only reason Sybilla hadn't returned yet is because she physically couldn't. In his mind she was already dead or being tortured. Either way he had to rescue her. He would try and bring her back into Byzantium and then try to keep her hidden and when there was enough money saved up they would leave the empire never to return. But no matter what he wouldn't allow her to be killed. If there was a way to save her life, he would gladly and honorable give his.

Alexios sat at the long table, looking out the long rectangular windows that opened up to the beautiful day that was developing before them. He had a long smile on his round face. He couldn't have planned anything better if he had tried. Sybilla had been the perfect weapon for the past ten years but now it was time to let her go. She was becoming far too confident and independent, two things that Alexios couldn't stand in his subjects.

The opportunity to kill Artorious had appeared at the same time Alexios was becoming angry with Sybilla for her forwardness. He knew this would be the most difficult assassination she had yet to deal with, since she had never had to kill another military mind before. Her assignments had always seemed to deal with political figures that had little or no military experience before. They were men that rarely looked over their shoulders and usually let their guards down, when they met a pretty face. Alexios knew that Artorious would be different; he was a man who did not let his guard down for a pretty face nor was oblivious to the world around him. Alexios was sure that Sybilla would be captured and his could only hope that Artorious would giver her proper Roman justice, death.

Yet, he liked Michael Psellos and knowing how his general cared about the assassin he knew the man would not be able to kill the woman he loved. This gave Alexios another idea. He called in one of his servants and told him to ready a boat to leave for Messina and then on to Britannia.

"General Psellos' boat leaves in a little over an hour should we prepare a place for you there?" The servant asked. Alexios was not used to this type of insubordination.

Slapping the servant across the face, he shouted. "Never question my actions. If I wanted a place on the General's ship I would have told you that! Fool! No, I want my ship ready to leave in a few days; I will arrive after Psellos does. Now, go!" The servant bowed and practically ran out the door.

Alexios sat back down in his large chair savoring the last bite of the fruits, before he began the rest of his day. If this is how the rest of the day was going to turn out, it might actually be a good day, he said smiling to himself. He enjoyed a good thought-out plan, and he was excited to see the death of the Sybilla.

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Sybilla had sat in her cell for nearly a month now. Tristan had not come to visit her again and she was becoming more and more furious with him. She looked out the window toward the courtyard that just a month ago she had watched Lancelot and Tristan enter. Since then she had watched the knights ride in and out countless times. Many times they were gone for days on end, and for this Sybilla grew anxious. Yet, no matter what a few days later they all returned. Usually a bit bloody and a bit beat up, but still alive.

She was getting used to her cell. The large skin blankets kept her warm during the cold nights and the large fireplace gave her a nice light. One of the maids, who brought her food, laid a few books in the corner of the room. Sybilla had read them all back in Constantinople but enjoyed doing something else other than just watching the clouds roll by. Other times, when the rain pounded on the roof just right she would lay in her bed and think back to better times, when the rains came down so hard on the plains back home that she wasn't even able to see two feet in front of her. Yet, remembering those times she was never scared, she knew that she was never alone, her hand always held Tristan's during those storms.

It was during one of these storms that she had heard a great deal of commotion down in the courtyard. Peering out the window she could see the knights standing in the rain, their horses ready to ride, with a lone Roman soldier standing in the middle of a circle the knights had made around him. It was difficult to hear the words that were being said but Sybilla was able to discern that there was a group of Woads in the woods to the east of the Fort; they had cross the wall during the night and had taken to the trees. They would need archers to get to them in the woods, swords would be no good.

"It's not nice to eaves drop," a young voice said from behind Sybilla.

"Vanora," Sybilla said turning to the young red head who served her food everyday, "who is that man?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Vanora stood on her tip toes to try and see out the window but she was too far away.

"Come in here and see," Sybilla said sternly.

"Oh no, you don't think I'm going to open up this door and then you're going to hit me over the head and run out of here. Well I'm not going to let you do that, Arthur has put too much faith in me." Vanora said taking a step backwards.

Getting a little frustrated, Sybilla walked over and opened the cell door on her own. Shocked, Vanora stood at the threshold not sure how the lock simply opened for the prisoner.

"Don't look too shocked Vanora, I picked the lock the third day I was here," Sybilla told her with a smile on her face.

"So you could have left any time since then and you haven't?" Vanora asked with a very confused tone.

"And where would I go?"

"Home," she said naively.

"You say that as if I actually do have a home," Sybilla said as she urged Vanora closer to the window. "You see that man speaking to Arthur and the one next to him? I still haven't caught his name."

"Bedwyr," Vanora said pointing out the man with the brown hair who stood next to Arthur. "And the man that is speaking to them is the Captain from the fort about thirteen miles to the east. Rumor spread before the Captain even got here that the Woads have taken to the trees, they need all the archers they can get, to get them out of the woods."

"Are the Woads dangerous?" Sybilla asked the young Briton.

"Course, just like you and my Bors are dangerous. There are those that want peace and those that want war. It's hard to tell the difference between the two but there is a difference. Arthur will never kill one unless they threaten the lives of his men. There are some Woads that simply want to cross the wall to either see what is on the other side and some want to come over to get rich and make a living."

"You said they need every archer they can get?"

"Yea, Arthur and his men are good but compared to nearly 300 Woads that crossed the wall… they need help. And most of these men weren't trained very well with a bow, the sword yes but not the bow." Vanora said as she started to walk away.

"Tell Arthur I will help him," Sybilla said. Vanora quickly turned around and gave her a very surprised expression.

"You want to help Arthur?"

"You want Bors to come back alive don't you?" Sybilla asked as Vanora vigorously nodded her head. "I am one of the best archers in Byzantium, so tell Arthur if he needs, include me as another bow."

"Certainly," Vanora excited left the room and ran down to tell Arthur. She couldn't believe they were going to be so lucky.

Ever since word had spread in Brisowald Fort that they had captured the Sword of the East, rumors had spread of how deadly she was. Vanora had been petrified the first time she was asked to take the evening meal up to her. She had been nervous Sybilla would break her neck the minute she walked into the room. Surprisingly though, she had found Sybilla to be very gracious and polite. They had spoken frequently, mostly about Vanora and a few times Sybilla commented. Vanora respected Sybilla, and thought very highly of Sybilla, especially now that she was willing to help the men who had her imprisoned.

Vanora ran towards the knights who were standing outside in the rain. She slipped on an invisible puddle of water and luckily fell right into Bors.

"Van! What's going on?!" He asked, his face full of concern as to why his lover is running around the barracks like chicken with her head cut off.

"It's Sybilla," Vanora managed to get out through her heavy breathing.

Before she could finish, Tristan appeared from the shadows, "What do you mean, it's Sybilla?!"

"She wants to help you all," she said as she caught her breath.

"I think the last thing that woman wants to do is help us!" Lancelot said as he walked inside from the rain.

"You don't understand!" Vanora tried to cut in as the men began to argue. She looked to Arthur, who got them all to quiet down just with saying, 'Men!'

Vanora finally took a deep breath and began to explain. "She overheard you all talking about needing more archers, and I told her that most of the men here were better with swords and spears than with bows. She told me that she's an expert bow and is willing to help you all!"

"Love, I don't think she wants to help us. She probably just wants us to open the cell so she can finish what she came here to do," Bors said as he cradled Vanora in his arms.

"No Bors, she already picked the lock on the door! When I went in there to speak with her she asked me to come in and I said the same thing, that she just wanted me to open the door. But she opened it from the inside!" All the knights glared at Vanora, each one searching her eyes to make sure she was telling the truth.

Tristan was the first one to bound away from the others. He wanted to see this for himself. He had known Sybilla to be resourceful, but he had never thought she was so well trained that she could pick the lock of a jail cell. Those locks were made by the best locksmiths in all of Britannia. When he reached her room she was sitting on the bed, staring out the window into the rain. Her head snapped to Tristan as he entered the room.

"I thought you would visit me more often, but I assume after our last conversation you want nothing to do with me. What are you doing here now?" Sybilla asked without moving off the bed.

Tristan said nothing. He walked to her door and pushed it open without touching the lock. "When did you do this?" He asked as he stood inside her cell for the first time.

She didn't have a chance to answer before the room was filled with the other knights, who wanted to see this for themselves. As if the feat was too incredible to have accomplished. Sybilla just smiled and laughed inwardly. For her, picking locks was on of the first things she learned how to do, besides the killing. She needed those skills for entering home and other businesses where her targets usually hit.

"When did you do this?" Tristan asked again, as Sybilla stood up to look him in the eyes.

"Two days after I was put in here," She said leaving out the fact she had done right after her horrible conversation with Tristan.

"You could have left anytime," Galahad quietly said.

"Yes, I could. But you make the assumption that I have a place to go."

"And now you want to help your captors?" The man Sybilla had never spoken to or even seen before stood near her now. He had deep brown eyes that almost seemed to frighten Sybilla. She took a step backwards before she answered.

"Why not? I'm a good archer, and if I heard correctly you could use another bow."

Everyone's eyes turned towards Arthur. It was apparent that he was weighing all the options in his mind. He looked to Bedwyr, who gave him an approving glare. Then he looked to Lancelot, whose distrust of the woman was apparent. Lastly he looked to the woman, who had a longing in her eyes. It seemed to Arthur that she seemed as if she finally wanted to fight for a cause, rather than just assassinating those that her boss claimed were against Byzantium.

"If you aim your bow at anyone other than a Woad, I will personally make sure you never again see daylight. Am I clear?" Arthur asked her as he took a step towards her to be level with her eyes.

"Clear as glass," She said. Arthur nodded and motioned for her to follow him.

The other knights did not seem to like his decision but they were smart enough not to argue with Arthur, he always had a reason for his choices. As everyone filtered out of the room, Tristan stayed behind. They stood staring at each other for a moment, and shaking her head Sybilla began to walk away. But she didn't get far past Tristan; he angrily grabbed her upper arm.

She turned her gaze to where his hand was tightly holding her arm, and then slowly her stare moved to his piercing eyes. "If you even think about harming one of these men," he began.

Sybilla cut him off, "If I was going to harm one of your brothers I would have done it weeks ago. The only reason I'm staying now is because I don't want to leave here without having a conversation with you. But know this, I have seen the way you are with these other men and they truly are your family. The Romans took away your real family, but at least they gave you another one. I will not harm your new family, nor will I allow any harm to come to them."

"You speak as if you know something is going to happen to them," Tristan said as he tried to read her eyes, a futile game.

"My employer will be coming here sooner or later, and when he does not even the gods can predict what will happen." His eyes fell to the floor, but Sybilla put her hand on his cheek, a movement she used to do often when they were children. It brought back a flood of memories, but her voice pulled Tristan back into reality. "Come along, there seem to be some Woads that need to be told where they belong."

With that they silently left the room, with Tristan's hand lightly touching the middle of Sybilla's back, lightly guiding her. Yet Sybilla allowed him to keep his hand there a bit longer than necessary.

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_Hope you all enjoyed!! Please review!! _


	6. Bloodied Waters

_Thanks again for your wonderful comments and reviews, they are greatly appreciated. I hope you all enjoy this next chapter! _

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Chapter 6

Bloodied Water

The rain came down in sheets, making it hard to see even a few feet before you. The knights were down in the stables, tacking up their horses and making sure their weapons were clean and ready to fight. Jols was tacking up Arthur's horse, as the leader of the knights he was used to staying in his study mapping out the easiest path towards the other milecastle, with preferably giving the knights the advantage over the Woads. None of the other knights ever questioned Arthur's skills in doing this. He was the most battle savvy commander any of them had ever met before. But Sybilla was trying to make her own plans, wondering if there was anyway these blue demons wouldn't see the knights coming. She determined that the best way for the knights to come in would be hard and fast, but telling them was proving to be a bit difficult, seeing as how none of them trusted her.

She tacked up the large black horse she had ridden up from Portsmouth. Sybilla had been surprised that the horse was still in the stables, she had imagined that the horse would have been returned to the innkeeper weeks ago. But Jols had merely handed her the saddle and bridle, and with is a disapproving look walked away. The knights were silent in her presence but she could see them congregating in little groups, and were no doubt speaking about her punishment, should she decided to double-cross them.

"You're going to need these," Lancelot said as he walked up to Sybilla. He was holding her sword, her daggers, bow and quiver. His voice was full of disdain and hatred toward the Eastern Citizen.

"You're going to have to trust me Sir Lancelot, I won't hurt you." Sybilla's tone was quiet and soothing, but Lancelot just glared at her.

"Your plan was to kill me, for no other reason than because I was part of the Sarmatian Knights. I don't really call that fair, do you?" He said as he leaned on the side of the stall.

"Tell me how that is any different from what we are doing today. We are getting ready to destroy a group of men, who quite possibly have only tried to cross the wall in order to find better lives for themselves, and for their families."

"There is a difference, because they have killed my brothers, the only family I have left. They deserve to die, Assassin, and I'm beginning to think that you do too."

"You want to kill me, to see me dead for one single reason, and that is because I tried to kill your precious commander. Well I've had numerous chances to do that since I've been in that cell and I still haven't done it. So if you can, try and trust me when I say that I am not going to harm any of you." Sybilla spoke quietly as she attached her sword to the saddle and the quiver to her back. It had been nearly a month since she had worn these clothes. She had felt almost naked wearing normal clothes, since for the past ten years more often than not she was in her long leggings and jerkin with a thick vest and high boots. She was glad to be wearing these clothes once again.

"Let's just see how you do in the heat of battle," Lancelot said as he walked away to tend to his own large black horse.

For the next half an hour the men stood ready in the stable, a few of the men had already mounted their horses and had done some quick exercises in the large hayfield arena, but Sybilla sat. Her eyes closed, the way she normally sat before a battle of a large magnitude. She closed her eyes and thought, trying to imagine the way the battle would play out. She could see the horses galloping along a muddy battlefield, and the blue demons were hiding high above them. With the grey sky, their blue skin and their green clothes among the trees it would be difficult to spot them, but Sybilla just shut her eyes tighter and imagined. She could see it all.

Tristan watched Sybilla closely. He wasn't sure what she was doing but for the past half an hour he watched her close her eyes, he almost thought that she was sleeping but he watched her hands. Subtly they moved, back and forth as if each motion acted as if she was pulling a bow or swinging a sword. He couldn't imagine what she was seeing but he had heard or people who could see a battle before it started. Tristan had never seen it happen before but if someone could possess the gift, he had no doubt Sybilla could.

He wasn't sure what was going on between them. Tristan could feel Sybilla holding back when she was with him, and he thought it was because she was a Byzantine citizen now. Political ties in this day and age were the only thing that kept you alive. It one broke away with the empire they had originally belonged to, an assassin such as Sybilla was surely one day going to come creeping into your home, and in the dead of night steal your last breath. It could be that simple reason that Tristan could sense Sybilla was holding back from him, she knew her life was already in jeopardy, so why risk it more?

Rocking Sybilla from her thought was the sound of the knights mounting their horses. Arthur had come into the stables, with his horse proudly walking behind him. Silently and without orders they mounted the horses and waited for their commander to speak. "We take the Eastern Road that parallels the wall until we get to the Milecastle. From there I want to split up into two groups, we will attack the forests from two sides closing them in. Hopefully, we will be able to push the Woads out into open fields."

All of the knights nodded in agreement, but Sybilla wasn't sure about this plan. "Do the Woads have horses?" She asked, her voiced sounded different in the stone cold silence of the stables.

Each of the knights glared at her as if it was blasphemy to be asking Arthur a question. But Arthur was not angry or upset; he kept he face neutral to her question and answered with quick, "no."

"Then shouldn't we use the horses to our advantage?" The knights, including Arthur, were now listening intently to what this assassin had to say. "There is no good reason to go into the forest. If we do, the horses will be no advantage to us; in fact they will be more of a hindrance."

"What do you propose?" The young knight Galahad asked. Sybilla noticed that for the first time the question was not asked in a harsh tone, but a tone that was inquisitive.

"Simple. Each of us is trained in archery, one of the main reasons for releasing me from my cell. So we should strike them hard and strike them fast. We know closely where they are. And as soon as we gallop past, the Woads will be alerted. By doing that they will start to fire first giving us the opportunity to track where the arrows are coming from. Your plan while sound Arthur, seems a bit difficult to successfully do in this type of weather and in the type of forests you seem to have on this wet island of yours." Sybilla spoke never taking her eyes off Arthur, she had been hoping to be able to read his face, but the Romans had taught him well, he kept a straight face never giving away a single emotion.

The room was quiet for a few minutes while the knights watched as Arthur slowly went over the plan in his head. He liked the plan, it was bold, and something he was always hoping to give the Woads; a quick, bold attack that would leave them fearful of Arthur and the knights. Slowly he began to nod his head.

"The plan seems exactly what we need, let's go," he said as he began to turn the horses towards the doors.

The only thing that bothered Sybilla about the whole plan was the weather. The massive downpour was making it difficult to see. 'A difficult target to see is a nearly impossible one to hit,' Sybilla could hear her old mentor telling her. When she had learned the bow, he hadn't been talking about rain though; he had been referring to the sand storms they were commonly hit with in the desert, at the training field she had been taken to as a child.

The horses raced out the gate into the pouring rain. Arthur was in the lead, followed by Bedwyr, Lancelot and the other knights. Dagonet was in the rear, with Tristan. Sybilla stayed near the middle of the pack but keeping her distance from the other knights. The horses ran out of Brisowald, the mud flying up behind each of the horses' hooves as they raced through the grounds of northern Britain.

It took them only an hour to reach the Milecastle, and Sybilla was a bit disappointed. She had imagined that every fort along Hadrian's Wall would look the same but she was drastically mistaken. This Milecastle, was only a fourth of the size of Brisowald. It had a small barracks for the men, a small stable, and a large tower that overlooked the Northern grounds of 'un-civilized' Briton. The continued to gallop past the large gates that allowed access to this Milecaslte, a few of the Roman soldiers that patrolled the walls waved their swords in acknowledgement of the great Sarmatian Knights that were passing through their territories.

As they rode by, Arthur signaled Sybilla to ride forward. Shouting through the rain, he yelled, "This is your plan, make it happen. Take the lead!" He pulled his horse back a bit and allowed Sybilla and large black horse to take the lead of the other knights. She could sense their eyes on her back, analyzing every move she made. She kept her head up but leaned her body closer to the horse's, trying to block out the wind that had begun to whip around them. This was wind she was not used to, it was strong, and bitter cold and threw the rain everywhere. There were even times where it seemed that rain was flying up from the ground. It stung her eyes but Sybilla didn't let that distract her. She pushed the horse faster, and she could just make out the sound of the other knights urging their horses faster.

She turned her body a round a bit as the forest the Woads were said to be rapidly approached them. "We fire no arrows on the first past; let them fire them at us. On the second pass take your bows and fire." She shouted the ordered at the top of her lungs but could barely hear herself speak between the wind, and the rain. Yet she could see the knights relaying her message so even Dagonet and Tristan, who still took up the rear, understood what the game plan was.

The forests appeared quickly and the riders looked deep into the forest and could just barely make out some shapes in the trees. By the time they were parallel to the woods the arrows had already started to come upon them, but Sybilla made sure she kept the horses galloping past. She was betting on the poor aim of the Waods, but they were better aimed that she thought. The arrows came close to the riders, so she pulled the horses a bit further away from the trees. In doing this it made it more difficult for the arrows to go a long range in the inclement weather.

She dared a glance behind her to find that her plan had gone to rot. The knights had pulled their horses up and had begun firing their arrows. Sybilla began to shout at them but her voice was drowned out by the wind and rain. One thing that had her even more angry was the fact that Lancelot and Galahad had turned their horses towards the forest and were racing in to the woods after the Woads. Sybilla reined her horse around the return to the knights, and it didn't take her long to have the arrows coming in closer than she would like.

Taking her bow from behind and stringing a few arrows to it, she allowed the black horse to gallop under her as she released the reins and released three deadly aimed arrows. The blue demons in the woods fell from the trees. Arthur kept his distance but had his horse stationary as he fired the arrows. Tristan allowed the horses to canter around as he fired but Sybilla could tell the he was itching to get off the horse and start some hand to hand combat. Or rather in the Knights case some sword to sword combat. Dagonet was not happy simply firing arrows and neither was Gawain, after watching Lancelot and Galahad gallop into the forest, they took their horses and followed. Sybilla again tried to shout to them to stop but either they couldn't hear her or they chose not listen to her. Bedwyr sat with Arthur and Bors and fired their arrows in the woods but Sybilla could see that they were not hitting anything but tree bark.

"It's not working," Sybilla said as she road up to Tristan who was closest to her. "We need to recollect our forces and try another tactic."

The wind was ripping even harder, making it nearly impossible to continue to fire arrows. "We need to find a way to get the Woads out of the forest," Tristan said shouting through the winds.

Sybilla looked to the knights, each separated, some firing arrows while others tried to overpower the Woads in the forest. She turned aside from Tristan and galloped towards Arthur.

"Any bright ideas?" Bors asked as she reached the three knights, Tristan close behind. They all continued firing arrows but Sybilla began to speak.

"We need to get them out of the forest; the weather is ruining whatever aim we could use to our advantage. Tristan and I will stay out here firing arrows but you need to go around behind them and force them out. There are four of your knights that are already in the forest, continue to have them push the Woads back and you, Bors and Bedwyr work to push them outwards. They'll have no place to go then."

"So we're back to Arthur's original plan then?" Bors angrily shouted.

"If your brother had listened to my orders we might have been able to take another path but I guess not! Now go!" Sybilla shouted in return and her and Tristan raced in opposite directions both firing arrows into the woods from their moving mounts.

For the next ten minutes all Sybilla and Tristan did was gallop around the woods and fire their arrows into the trees. Most times they found their mark, but the rain and wind was making it difficult. Finally the knights finally came rushing out of the woods racing after a good deal of Woads. Having the Woads on the run allowed Arthur and the Knights the advantage. This was the type of fighting they were used to.

The knights raced around the battlefield, their swords raised high with blue paint, and red blood trickling down the blades. Sybilla was surprised to see how well trained these men were, perhaps they weren't experts with a bow, but when it came to swords she didn't think there were many men that could compare. Sybilla was reluctant to take out her sword, she felt that she was doing well with the bow, but unfortunately, she was on her last arrow. Aiming at a Woad that was approaching Arthur from behind she fired, and an instant later the Woad was on the ground, an arrow through his heart.

Urging the horse forward, he watched as Sybilla unsheathed her sword. Her blade was like his, curved, light and elegant but her sword has much more intricate engraves on the blade. Tristan could see the engravings even from his short distance away, since they made the rain that was pouring down trickle unevenly along the blade. He urged his horse forward trying to catch the same pace as Sybilla but the minute he was about to pull up to her she veered to her left and made her way closer to the forest. The Woad was nearly impossible to see, but he was there, crouching near the foot of a large tree. The Woad had thought he was safe there but he hadn't imagined a fighter like Sybilla take the field. Tristan turned his horse away and began finishing off a few of the remaining Woads.

After an intense battle of nearly an hour the fighting was just about over. The knights were beginning to converge on the middle of the field. Lancelot was the last knight to mount his horse and begin a slow walk to the middle. Yet Sybilla looked around, something was not feeling right to her, as if the battle was not yet entirely finished. A deep foreboding was in the pit of her stomach.

Suddenly, a Woad jumped out from the forest and jumped onto the back of Lancelot's horse, and began to choke the young knight. Arthur and the others were shocked by the instantaneous change of events and for the briefest of seconds were in shock. Sybilla on the other hand had seen the Woad jump from the forest and she already had a used arrow strung to her bow. A moment later the arrow was whizzing through the air and hit the Woad in the side. He screamed out in agony and released his grip just a bit, and before he fell of the horse and allowed death to overtake him, he subtly took out his knife and stabbed Lancelot in the side. The knight curled over in pain and used the last of his energy to push the Woad from the horse, which was now prancing about as if the ground were eggshells.

Sybilla was the closest to Lancelot, and as he fell off the horse gripping his bleeding side she helped him to the ground. He was breathing heavily and his hand was covered in blood. But after a battle such as that, Sybilla couldn't be sure if it was his blood or the blood of the Woads. She tried to look at the wound but he kept pushing her hands away. The others knights were next to them in a moment, Tristan bringing with him a small medical kit.

"Is he going to live?" Gawain asked as they watched Lancelot's body stop fighting with the Easterner.

"We need to get him back to the fort. I can't see with all the armor on, and we need to get him out of the rain." Sybilla said as she continued to try and lift up the armor that was near the wound, but the entire chest piece would have to come off and she didn't want to do that in an open battlefield.

"Can you heal him?" Arthur said, looking deep into Sybilla eyes.

"I need to see the wound first, and then we can determine that." Sybilla stood up and took Lancelot's head, Tristan understood was she was doing and helped hoist him onto her horse. The other knights helped secure him onto her saddle as Sybilla jumped up behind him. Without out words the other knights jumped on their horses and they began the journey back to the fort.

"Stay with me," Sybilla whispered to Lancelot as they galloped back to the fort. She could feel him relaxing in her arms. She wanted to take it as a good sign that he was actually relaxing around her but she knew that it was his body giving up; the knight must have pierced an organ.

The rain had finally let up a bit but the wind was still whipping around. To Sybilla it felt as if they had been riding forever, but finally she saw the fort coming up on the horizon. She dug her heels into her horse and signaling that he understood her, the horse put his head down and galloped even quicker. The other knights were right behind her as they passed under the large gates that took control of the countryside.

There were not many people out in the market, seeing as how the weather was not conducive for selling goods, but the few that were out noticed the knights. Specifically they noticed the woman who was delicately cradling the knight in her arms. The citizens watched as the knights rode through the fort heading towards the barracks and to medical supplies.

Reaching the gate Jols ran out of the hall and was shocked to see Sybilla holding Tristan, he stood in shock for a moment until he started hearing orders. "I need bandages, and instruments!" Sybilla told him as he helped Lancelot from the horse. His face was losing color and his body was becoming rigid. "We don't have much time!"

Jols looked to Arthur for reassurance, and Arthur only nodded his reply. Jols got the help of two Romans to take Lancelot to his chamber, while he fetched what the Byzantine needed. Arthur handed his horse to Bedwyr as he followed Sybilla into the hall and up to Lancelot's chamber.

The chamber felt warm to those who has been outside in the rain for the majority of the day. The braziers were filled with warm coals and the curtains had been drawn to maintain the heat. The centurions had laid Lancelot on his bed and Sybilla began to wash her hands in the small wash basin that was in the corner of the room. She needed to take a few deep breaths, for she knew that if she failed the knights would blame her for their brother's death, and if she succeeded she would have gained their trust. Sybilla had just finished washing up when Jols appeared with the medical instruments.

The instruments were a bit old and worn, but Sybilla would do what she could with them. Arthur had followed her to the chamber and had helped in preparing Lancelot. His boots were removed and new set of socks was put on his feet. His armor and swords were also taken off and laid near the bed. Arthur looked to Sybilla as she pulled up a stool and pulled away the cloth that was covering the wound.

There was absolute silence in the room as Sybilla looked to wound and her tools. Arthur couldn't take the silence; he could hear that Lancelot's breaths were becoming more shallow and strained. Lancelot wouldn't last much longer, even Arthur knew that.

"Your assessment?" Arthur asked, as Sybilla began picking up some of the medical instruments.

"The wound is deep and I think it punctured his kidney. I will try and repair the damage to the kidney and hopefully the blood will clot without infection." Sybilla told Arthur but never looked him in the eye.

"What is the likely hood of this actually working?" Galahad said from behind. Neither Arthur nor Sybilla had noticed the other knights silently enter the room.

She turned her head a bit only motioning that she had heard the question. Trying to choose her words wisely she took a moment before answering. "I've done it successfully before, but that was only once. And most of the healing depends on Lancelot, I can only do so much. We need to pray that he doesn't get an infection, and if he doesn't then he should heal rather quickly." Sybilla turned away, back to Lancelot. "Now everyone get out before I start, I don't want anyone in here."

"I'm not leaving," Arthur stoically said. Sybilla didn't have the time or the energy to start arguing with the commander of the knights.

Nodding her head she said, "Fine, but you're going to help me then. Everyone else out!"

The knights reluctantly left the room, but didn't go far. They sat in the hallway waiting for news. Food was served to them as well as drinks. Jols went even so far as to take their armor and weapons and brought each of them new shirts to get them out of their wet clothes. But nothing mattered, to the knights they were worried. The assassin that had come to kill Arthur was in a room with weapons and supposedly operating on one of their brothers. They wanted to trust her, but something inside of them told them otherwise. How could the trust the woman who had come to kill them? She was inside with Arthur with no one to defend him should she decide to get vicious.

The minutes rolled onto hours, until it had gone on for nearly three. The knights were anxious. They had heard some groaning and moaning and they all told themselves that it was just Lancelot. They would open the door when this was all finished and Arthur would be fine, as well. If not, they were going to break every bone in Sybilla's body.

After a fourth hour they could finally hear some voices in the room. And slowly the door opened. Thankfully, each of the knights was staring at their commander. Tired and beaten, but Arthur was alive. And he even had traces of a smile on his face.

"She's incredible," he said to them as they shuffled to the door to get a glimpse of Lancelot. He was laying in the bed, with much more color to his face and seemed to breathing easier.

"He's alive?" Dagonet said as they looked into the room.

"Yes he is, and Sybilla says that now we only have to wait to see if it gets infected." Arthur told the group.

Sybilla came to the door with all the supplies in her hands, including a jumbled mess of bloody bandages. She pushed her way to Arthur moving the other knights out of the way, and closed the door behind her. "He will be fine," she said reading each of their faces. "The thing he needs the most of now is rest. You can all go see him tomorrow afternoon. Allow him this time to regain his strength while each of us regains ours." Speaking to the knights they nodded but it took them some more pushing from Arthur to get them all walking down the hall.

Sybilla began to walk when she noticed footsteps behind her. "If you're going to follow me, can you please carry some of this?"

Silently, Tristan walked up behind her and took the bowl of bloodied water and some of the instruments. She handed them over to him and looked deep into his piercing eyes. Not knowing what to say she merely nodded and continued to walk down the hall.

"Thank you," were the only words that the Knight spoke as they walked down to the kitchen to clean the instruments and get more bandages.

* * *

_Hope it was enjoyable. If there is something that you would like to see changed, clarified or have some fun ideas please let me know!! I would love to hear your feedback!! xx TL_


	7. You're Already Dead

_I truly apologize for the EXTREME amount of time it took me to update this story. I had severe writer's block and then I just didn't have the time... well I hope that this makes up for that! Please review and let me know how I did. Again I sincerely apologize!!! -- TL_

* * *

Chapter 7

You're Already Dead

Sybilla and Tristan walked towards the kitchen. At this point in the night the kitchen was quiet. All the cooks had gone home for the night and the only noise that could be heard was from the Roman soldiers that were drinking heavily at the tavern. Sybilla had asked a few of the servants to leave a few bowls of warm, clean water in the kitchen. She wanted to be able to clean off many of the bandages that she had used for Lancelot's care.

Tristan and her were silent as they entered the kitchen. Sybilla's mind was not thinking about the man standing next to her, but rather her mind drifted to the knight that was lying upstairs. She was confident in her surgical skills, but she wasn't sure his body was going to be strong enough to fight off infection. It was the biggest problem Sybilla had in healing, and she always knew infection was usually more deadly than the original wound.

Tristan watched her as she walked around the kitchen. She was washing her hands off in the first of a few water filled bowls. He was shocked that he was still enraptured by the way she moved. She exuded a sense of grace in everything she did, even something as morbid as washing blood off her hands and out of bandages. Yet, as he watched her he wondered what had made her suddenly help the knights. She had sworn her life against the men, and now here she was, nearly four hours of trying to save Lancelot's life.

"Why?" he asked her. She turned towards him, but shook her head. "Why are you doing this? You didn't want to help the men; in fact your primary goal was to kill our commander. Why are you helping us now?"

Sybilla stopped washing the bandages and stood with her wet hands on her hips. She turned once again towards Tristan, but wasn't able to find the proper words for him. Truth be told, she honestly didn't know why she had stayed. Sybilla knew that she could never return to Constantinople without having killed Arthur and the knights but she knew now that there was no way she could kill them.

She tried to ignore his question by busying herself with other meaningless tasks. But Tristan knew this ploy, and he wouldn't let her remain silent. She walked around one of the bowls placing a towel on the ledge to dry, but he cut her off before she made it back to the bowl of water. "Why, Sybilla?" He placed his hand under her chin bringing her face to meet his eyes.

Sybilla shoved his hand away as she walked back towards the bowls, but did nothing. She looked up to him, and opened her mouth as if she wanted to speak but did not know the words to say. Another moment passed before she spoke. "Honestly I don't know what is keeping me. But I knew I couldn't leave without speaking with you, I suppose part of me wanted to stay just to make sure you were all right. Obviously you are," she said as she broke off the minimal eye contact and began cleaning the last of the rags.

"You haven't tried to kill Arthur since we put you in the cell." He stated the fact, but Sybilla knew he wanted a reason.

"I couldn't take away the only family you have left. That would make me more of a monster than I even want to think about." Sybilla couldn't make eye contact with Tristan, but instead kept her eyes on the filthy rag in her hands.

"Is that the only reason?" He said as he moved closer to Sybilla. He stood next to the assassin. The proximity of the man sent a shiver down Sybilla's spine; it was a place she had dreamt of for years, but now that she was in the position she wasn't sure what to do.

She looked into Tristan's eyes, biting her lip she quietly replied. "There are other things I have wanted to say to you, but I suppose now none of them matter."

"Things like what?" He said as he moved his head to get a piece of his long black hair out of his face.

"They don't matter anymore, Tristan. Let us leave it at that," Sybilla said as she laid the bandages on a table near the fire. She would check on them in a few hours, hoping they would be dried. She knew Lancelot's bandages would need to be changed by then.

Sybilla started to move towards the door leading outside, when Tristan stealthily moved between her and the door. "What if I don't want to leave it at that, Sybilla? What if I need to know the answer before you leave this room?" She had never heard him speak so adamantly before and wondered what was bringing on this sense of charisma, for it was entrancing.

"Why?" she finally said through clenched teeth.

"You tried to kill Arthur, and for all I know this is a game you're playing. You want to get close to us… you get close to us, we let our guard down and then you strike."

"If I wanted to do that Tristan, then Lancelot would already be dead. I wouldn't waste my talents on someone I was only going to kill later. I'm not that cruel!"

"Then why, Sybilla?!" he began to raise his voice, something Sybilla had only seen him do once before. When Sybilla had been foolish enough to steal his father's sword and hide it in the little stables they had in their village. Tristan had become livid when he couldn't find the sword to practice with, he was ranting and raving around the village, before Sybilla finally told him where it was. He didn't speak to her for a week, and only then had she promised to herself, she was never going to cross Tristan again.

"I promised you that no harm would come to them, and I never go back on my word, Tristan. You know that!" Sybilla shouted back, her anger started to rise within her. In her younger years she was too cowardly to stand up to Tristan, she had only ever wanted to please him, but she was older now.

"And what about the word you gave to the man that hired you? The promise you gave him that you would kill us?" The question stung Sybilla harder than a dagger piercing her vein, but it went unanswered.

Suddenly a crash came from the opposite doorway of the room. It startled them both, as they looked to a chair lying on the ground. Galahad and Gawain stood in the doorway, staring at the Eastern and their brother in arms.

"Are we interrupting something?" Galahad questioned as they moved into the room.

"Nothing, I was just getting some things to take up to Lancelot's quarters, Tristan was trying to help me. Too bad he knows nothing about healing," Sybilla said as she pushed her way past Tristan and other two knights. She never looked back towards Tristan, that wasn't her style. She never looked back, no matter what happened in her life, she refused to look back, and it only brought pain.

Tristan stood in the kitchen looking at his two brothers, who looked to him for only a moment longer. Galahad walked over to a large barrel and filled his mug with some ale. While Gawain moved towards the bloodied water bowls that Sybilla had left in the kitchen.

"What was that about?" Gawain finally said to break the silence.

"I don't trust her," Tristan replied coldly.

"Neither do we," Galahad retorted, "but she did save Lancelot's life, and she was well trained on the battlefield. She could be an asset."

"That woman is trouble, always has been." Tristan said as he followed Galahad's action and poured himself a mug of ale.

"And how do you know that?" Gawain said as he took the mug from Galahad forcing the younger knight to get another mug of ale.

"Old friends from home," Tristan said staring into the amber liquid in his mug. "She's an assassin…no good may come her staying here."

* * *

Sybilla walked up stairs towards Lancelot's room. She didn't know if the knights wanted her to return to her cell, especially since they hadn't offered her another place to sleep. So for now she had decided that she was going to keep an eye on the knight. Slipping into Lancelot's room she was pleased to see that he was sleeping soundly. The first sign of infection would have been a hot sensation in his forehead; he wasn't showing signs of that. That pleased Sybilla.

She sat down in a chair near the side of his bed, and gazed out the window. It was only open a slight crack, just to allow some fresh air into the room. The rain was still coming down in sheets. It was a new thing for Sybilla to see so much rain, after growing up in the desert. She leaned back in the chair, wondering about her next move. Tristan had brought up a valid point; it wouldn't be long until Arthur questioned her motives. Tristan asking this question so quickly only told Sybilla that it would not be long until Arthur asked the same ones. Her problem was she didn't know what to tell them.

As her mind thought about what to tell Arthur, it also dwelled on the conversation she had with her master, before she came to the Island of the Mighty.

_It had been a warm day, as it commonly was in Constantinople. The sun was shining on the beautiful palace that was placed in the center of the city. People were constantly moving in and out of the building, which made it easy for Sybilla to enter. She never entered through the main gate; she either used the servants' passage, which was set below the actual city or the soldiers' gate. At this time in the morning it was safer to use the servants' entrance, most soldiers were still at Morning Prayer – newly found Christians. _

_Creeping her way into the palace, she found herself admiring the beautiful, priceless pieces of art that lined the walls. She was sure Alexios had no idea the extent of his collection. Pieces of work that would have fed his army for months were placed on the walls and hardly admired. For some reason this morning, Sybilla decided to admire the works; in the back of her mind she felt she wouldn't be seeing them again. If everything was going right today, Alexios would be giving her the last assignment of her enslavement. She would do her job, her despicable job, one last time and then she could have the life she had always wanted – a home, and a family. _

_She had reached Alexios' private chambers and knocked quietly four times. At this hour he answered the door himself, and allowed her in. It was rare person to be able to gain an audience with the Emperor at only an hour past dawn. But Sybilla was no average person, she was his servant. He had paid for Sybilla when she was only a young girl, and her enslavement had been for eleven years, which was up this year. _

_He looked her up and down, with his demeaning but at the same time adoring eyes. He hadn't gained his position because of his intellect or his renowned respect, Sybilla had killed for it. Senators, soldiers and royal family had been assassinated for Alexios to be in his position, and Sybilla was not one to let him forget it. _

"_Good Morning Assassin," he said with a demeaning tone._

"_Sire," she said giving a slight nod in return. She maintained a sense of grace when she was around him, although many times he revolted her._

"_Your last mission," he whispered as he motioned toward a scroll on the desk. She walked over towards the scroll and opened it. It revealed the markings of Rome, one she was used to seeing after the devastation she had created in the scramble to make Alexios Emperor. _

"_Artorious Castus?" She continued reading out loud. "And what has the great Artorious done to require my specific talents?"_

"_The Emperor of Rome is fond of the man they call Artorious. If he falls, the Empire in Britannia falls – then the Byzantine Empire can pick it up."_

"_And what would you want with the grey lands of Britannia? They have nothing to offer an Empire such as ours."_

"_No, but through them, and through the Sarmatian Knights that Artorious commands, I can get to Rome."_

"_The ever-grasping hand always wants more." Sybilla said under her breath._

"_I want Rome that has always been the ultimate goal."_

"_So my killing for the throne of Byzantium wasn't enough for you? You want the whole of the Roman Empire as well?" _

_Alexios looked at her with critical eyes, "don't try and talk politics with me, you will lose Assassin." He never wanted her to forget her position._

"_Of course not, my Lord." There was a slight pause while she tried to re-read the scroll. It wouldn't be leaving Alexios' chambers. "So Artorious and all his knights are the assignment?"_

"_All of them, if Rome thinks that they've been killed by the natives then he'll make war with them and wear their own armies thin. And who will be there to scoop up the pieces?"_

"_Emperor Alexios," Sybilla said to ease his mind. She threw the scroll into the fire of the hearth. _

"_Don't forget Assassin," she looked to Alexios already certain of what he would say next, "if you're captured you're already dead, and you never existed in Byzantium." _

"_Promise me one thing… per usual...." her voice drifted off, waiting for Alexios to finish it._

"_Psellos will be alive when you return… and unharmed," he said with a smile on his face. She didn't think he would be stupid enough to kill his highest lieutenant but she would put nothing past the most unscrupulous man she had ever met. _

"_Then consider Artorious and his knights already dead," Sybilla said as she gave a final bow and left the room. _

_She walked down the hall into the attached garden of the palace. It was one of the most serene places she could find in Constantinople. It was always a bustling city, one thing she disliked about it. But in the garden she could cleanse her thoughts. _

"_It went well I suppose?" A voice said from behind her. _

_She spun around and walked over to the awaiting arms of Michael Psellos. It was no hidden love, at least not from the members to Alexios' closest staff. Michael and her commonly met in the gardens when she was in the city, most of the staff though didn't know who she was. Just another woman of the Imperial Court they would guess. Michael held her close as she took in the warmth. _

"_I have my last assignment, and then I can be done with this. It can be just me and you." Sybilla whispered into his ear. _

"_And the ghosts you carry with you," he said in return. They broke from the embrace and settled on a bench in the rising sunshine._

"_Ghosts we both will carry with us."_

"_But both different," he said giving her the look he did when he would make clear that her job was much more gruesome and evil than his._

"_You take lives when you have to, as do I. I am given an order and it must be obeyed. We are servants of the same master, you in plain sight," Sybilla said running a finger up and down his red cloak. "And me in secret."_

"_At least it will soon be over," he said bringing his face close to hers. _

"_Very soon, my love," she said pushing their lips together. _

_A flock of birds flew away from one of the olive trees in the garden making a racket and telling Sybilla it was time to fly from these shores. Michael held her one more time, before she reluctantly let go of him and they began to walk their separate ways. _

"_Sybilla," he called before they had left the garden. She walked back over to him, never wanting to shout when so many unwanted ears may be listening in. "Just be careful in Britannia, I've heard horror stories of those shores. Uncivilized men, brutish tactics and spies everywhere."_

_She cupped his face in her hand, "You make it sound like we don't live in the same conditions here." He smiled at her retort, it was true, Constantinople was just a bad. "Michael, be careful here. I don't trust Alexios."_

"_Neither do I."_

"_Watch your back." She said as she kissed him one final time good-bye. _

Sybilla suddenly woke up, curious as to where she was. It was a comfort and a fear that she really was in Britannia. She looked over and saw Lancelot roused a bit from his slumber. Shaking the sleep from her eyes, she walked over to the bowl of fresh water she had brought up with her from the kitchen. She hadn't realized how much she missed Michael until now. Not returning to Constantinople could mean undue pain for him, but she knew if she returned without nine dead knights, it would mean her death. Shaking her head, Sybilla knew she needed to think this out more clearly.

She walked over to Lancelot and placed a cool cloth on his forehead. He had not gained a fever and she took this as a good sign. He woke up as she rung the towel out near his bedside.

"Wha-what are you doing here?" he said, still weak but trying to show her that he was not.

"Relax," she soothed as she placed her hands on his shoulders. She pushed him back down into the bed, and picked up the towel again. "You were injured yesterday in a battle with the Woads; you're back at the fort with a healing side. So please don't strain yourself." Sybilla placed the towel back on his forehead.

"You're not trying to kill me?" He asked suspiciously.

She smiled and gave a small laugh, "now why would I heal you, just to kill you later? Seems like a waste of time and talent if you ask me."

"You healed me?"

"That I did."

"Why?" He asked with a strained voice, just this small conversation was wearing him out.

"Because I couldn't come up with a good excuse not to," she said with a grin. "Now go back to sleep, your body needs to re-cooperate."

"You won't kill me while I'm asleep will you?" He said with a cautious grin on his childish face.

"If you promise not to kill me while you're awake."

"Deal."

"Deal."

He allowed himself to fall back into the bed, as Sybilla pulled another blanket on top of him. The wind and picked up a bit and she didn't want him to catch a cold. Walking to the window, in order to shut it, she realized that the rain had stopped and a red sun was rising on the horizon. A strange feeling gnawed at her stomach, as if something she was least prepared for was heading in her direction. She stood at the window, letting the wind whip past her. Someone was coming from Constantinople, and she knew it was going to be her death.

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_I hope you all enjoyed it! Please review and let me know what I can change/improve etc. Thanks!!! I hope to update ASAP!!!!! Keep those reviews coming!! _

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